HEALTH and safety officers are investigating the cause of a battery acid leak which caused Darlington's Arts Centre to be evacuated on Wednesday.

The centre's marketing manager was rushed to hospital after inhaling sulphuric acid fumes from a faulty battery. Four fire crews and a specialist team evacuated the centre for two hours.

Darlington Borough Council, which runs the centre, last night said the incident had not been serious.

A spokesman said: "This was a very minor incident and just involved a leaky battery. The top of the battery had come off. Obviously we are looking at why this happened, but it is not anything major. The man who was taken to hospital felt a bit ill after inhaling some fumes. He had a check-up and is fine now."