YOUNGSTERS at an Air Cadet group were sprayed with acid some across the face and eyes after a chemical spillage during their evening meeting.

What should have been a routine exercise at an Air Cadet parade turned into "an absolute nightmare" according to parent Carron Payne, 37, whose daughter Karla Dunn suffered burns across the face.

Karla, 14, was one of the first children rushed to the Great Western Hospital on Wednesday evening at 9.50pm when a plastic container filled with a cleaning agent exploded. It consisted of 40 per cent phosphoric acid.

"My face is like a red balloon, it feels like it's boiling when I get hot," said the Headlands pupil.

Another two children who suffered burns to the neck and eyes were also taken to hospital and up to 15 more were treated for fume inhalation, blisters and shock.

Three ambulances, two fire engines and six police cars attended the scene.

The group of air cadets were cleaning out a cupboard outside the French block at Headland School in Cricklade Road, Pinehurst, where the cadets meet.

Twenty cadets, aged between 12 and 18 were forming a human chain to empty the cupboard of its contents. There were about 50 cadets present at the school.

"We were just passing books along the line when we came to a plastic container, a bit bigger than a fire extinguisher," said Karla."

The boy who was carrying the container of cleaning fluid, 15-year-old Stuart Hackett a Hreod Parkway pupil, placed it into the skip and around 20 other cadets were standing nearby.

"About five seconds later there was an explosion and liquid went flying everywhere," said Harriet Bullock, 13, who suffered burns to the legs.

It was only when Karla felt burning on her face that they realised they were covered in acid. It is not yet clear why the cadets were involved in such an exercise. They usually take part in disciplinary skills, marches and drills.

David Ogden, spokesman for the Air Cadets Organisations (ACO), said: "The safety of cadets is of paramount importance. The ACO is taking this incident very seriously and has launched an investigation into why the incident happened and will fully co-operate with any other investigations.

"No one received serious injuries and no one had to be detained in hospital."

Five members of staff were present at the parade but none of them were available for comment yesterday. Many parents said the staff, who attended the Accident and Emergency department at the Great Western Hospital, were "very sorry" for the incident. One parent, Alison Baker, whose son Liam, 15, suffered burns to the hands and was treated for fume inhalation, said many children were clearly shocked and distressed by the incident.

Yesterday, Liam returned to his classes at Kingsdown School and even did his paper round, delivering the Evening Advertiser last nightNOV20.

Some cadets were not discharged from hospital until 2am yesterdayNOV20.

"It was an absolute nightmare like a scene from the drama Casualty," said mother Carron Payne, a sales assistant.

"There were children everywhere."

Once the cadets reached the hospital they were instructed to remove all clothes which had been splashed in acid and had to shower.

Those who suffered the most serious injuries were treated while those who suffered mild burns were told to bathe them and return to the hospital if their symptoms worsened.

Firefighters and the chemical spillage team used soda ash to neutralise the cleaning agent when they were called to the scene at around 9.15pm on Wednesday.

The Air Cadets Organisation will carry out an investigation into the incident.