Chelsea were forced to be evacuated hours before their Premier League encounter against Sunderland.(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)

Chelsea players were forced to evacuate their training ground just hours before taking on Sunderland in the Premier League. The west London outfit were due to train on Friday afternoon but saw their preparations thrown into chaos by safety concerns at their Cobham facility.

There were worries about a chlorine leak after an alarm sounded in the swimming pool area of the complex. Players and staff were instructed to leave the building as fire crews raced to the scene to investigate.

A number of Chelsea stars were already thought to have been in their training kit when the incident took place, reports the Express.

Firefighters subsequently confirmed that it was a false alarm and everyone was permitted back into the building to retrieve their belongings.

Chelsea players were still able to participate in their scheduled 3pm training session despite the disruption, according to The Sun.

A statement from the Blues read: "Fire services responded to an automatically triggered alarm at Chelsea FC's Cobham training faciliity. As...