999 crews called in chemical leak alert

FIREFIGHTERS set up an exclusion zone after chemicals leaked from a container at a distribution compound in North Warwickshire.

The 30-metre “no go” area was established at the ABP Connect depot, on Eddison Road industrial estate at Coleshill to prevent anyone touching the chemicals or inhaling their toxic fumes.

Experts were called to remove the leaking container.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Coleshill and West Midlands Ambulance crews were called to the incident.

Phosphoric acid and dichloromethane were involved in the spillage. No-one
was injured.

Marcus Giles, crew manager at Coleshill fire station, said:

The company telephoned us to tell us about the leak and they gave us the chemical numbers. We relayed the information to our Enviromental Protection Unit at Atherstone and they immediately informed us that the chemicals were toxic and corrosive and to set up a 30 metre exclusion zone.

Firefighters used a chemical ‘binder’ to make the container safe before retreating behind the exclusion zone. An ambulance, a paramedic officer and an emergency planning manager attended.

An ambulance service spokesman said:

The crews were told that the container had phosphoric acid in it and that a small amount had leaked out. Fortunately there were no casualties among staff, who had followed their procedures.