Acid spill causes motorway chaos

Sep 6 2007 by Paula Owens, Liverpool Daily Post

A POTENTIALLY dangerous acid spill in Ellesmere Port caused traffic chaos when part of a motorway was closed yesterday.

A six-mile stretch of the M53 between Hooton and Little Stanney was closed in both directions while corrosive chemicals were siphoned from a broken-down lorry to a secure tanker.

Nitric acid and hydrochloric acid were leaking from the 22- tonne lorry parked on Oil Sites Road, which runs alongside the southbound carriageway near junction nine.

The motorway had to be closed after the fire service set up a 200-metre exclusion zone around the lorry, said a spokesman for the Highways Agency.

He said the exclusion zone was a precautionary measure only, adding there was no risk to the public.

It is not yet known how the chemicals came to be leaking from the lorry. Nitric acid is a highly corrosive, toxic chemical which can cause severe burns.

A spokesman for Cheshire police said: “There are no residential areas along the affected section, which is largely industrial. However, those on the industrial premises have been advised to stay indoors and close the windows and doors.”

A Cheshire Fire Service spokesman said the spilled substances caused a smell which was carried by the wind in a south easterly direction. He added the fumes would not harm public health.

The fire service had six engines at the scene as well as other specialist equipment including a hazardous materials unit and a foam tanker.

The chemicals from the tanker were decanted safely into a sealed tank on site and diluted by water.

At 1.20pm, police closed the motorway off between junctions eight and ten, later extending the closure to junction five.

A spokesman for Cheshire police described the rush hour traffic as “chaos”. He said: “The closure has led to great congestion in and around the Ellesmere Port area but the motorway will remain closed while the police and fire service make the scene safe.”

The M53 motorway and railway adjacent to Oil Sites Road were reopened shortly after 6.15pm.

Oil Sites Road and Bridges Road remained closed and the police spokesman said it was unclear when they would be reopened.

The emergency services at the scene said they were satisfied the leak had not affected any residential areas.

People in the area were no longer being advised to stay indoors and those working on Oil Sites Road were told they were free to go home.

paulaowens