Chemical spill in Fife causes concern

Spills of hazardous substances can cause many problems, not just to the local area where the spill occurred, but when the spill gives off noxious fumes, a greater area can be impacted upon.

A chemical spill from a plant in Fife is being monitored closely after around 10,000 litres of what is believed to be nitric acids spilled from a storage tank.

The spill was so severe that all employees sand contractors were immediately evacuated from the area and local residents were told to close windows and doors to keep the noxious fumes from entering their homes.

A process storage tank at the Cameron Bridge Diageo plant spilled its contents and required monitoring by emergency services, who were concerned further liquid could spill from the vessel or the situation could worsen.

A spokesperson from the firm confirmed that no one had been injured by the spill and none of the spilled chemical had found its way into the surrounding environment. The spill is now being cleaned up using absorbents and other spill clean-up devices.

A spokesperson stated:

"As a precaution all employees and contractors on site have been evacuated and as a safety measure residents in the immediate vicinity have been advised to keep their windows and doors closed.

"The plant has been safely shut down while emergency services monitor the situation.

"We are now entering the clean up phase to safely remove the chemical spillage, estimated at 10,000 litres, which is an acid-based cleaning product widely used in the food and beverage industries."