WAREHOUSE workers were hosed down by firefighters with specialist decontamination equipment after a chemical spill.

Fire and ambulance crews rushed to Business Post in Castle Road, Murston on the Eurolink Industrial Estate at 7pm on Friday night after reports workers were suffering from respiratory problems and tingling skin.

Police cordoned off the entire estate, allowing through only parents arriving to pick their children up from a party.

Four Business Post employees were splashed with the chemical, a mixture of hydrofluoric and sulphuric acids, when a 25 litre container fell over and the top came off.

Around five litres of the liquid spilled out and 17 people in the vicinity at the time were checked for contamination and breathing problems.

Sub officer Jamie Muddle, from Sittingbourne Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We removed the contaminated clothing and washed them down in a controlled manner. The casualties have gradually been examined by ambulance crews as they came out of decontamination."

Three fire crews attended the scene, two from Sittingbourne and one from Strood. Two of the crews carried decontamination units.

Once all people were evacuated from the warehouse, fire crews put on gas tight suits, their highest level of protective clothing, and breathing apparatus. They then waited for the Environment Agency to attend before entering the warehouse to investigate and deal with the cause of the spillage.

Company employees being evacuated said there were about five or six people involved who were suffering from breathing difficulties. No-one was taken to hospital and all employees were decontaminated at the scene before being allowed to leave.

Fire crews remained at the depot until around 10.30pm.