ONE hundred and fifty workers were evacuated from a Bury factory after a massive chemical spill yesterday (Thurs Oct 12).

Around 700 litres of formaldehyde swamped the shop floor of Milliken Industrials Ltd's Wellington Street factory after a storage container was punctured.

More than 40 firefighters, wearing protective chemical suits, were brought in to deal with the spillage, soaking up the poisonous liquid with sand and a special peat-like substance.

The colourless chemical is used during the manufacture of latex.

Incident commander, divisional officer Brian Preston, confirmed the spillage took place shortly after 10am and officers worked throughout the day and evening to clear the liquid. He said a large container had been pierced during a work's accident. He added: "Formaldehyde is an irritant and is very poisonous. Firefighters have been mainly working in pairs to clean-up the chemical. Protection suits have been worn to stop officers from coming into contact with the substance.

Bosses at Milliken held a series of training sessions and meetings to keep the factory workers occupied during their evacuation.

A spokesman for the company said: "The factory was evacuated for precautionary reasons. Thanks to the quick response of the associates involved, and the local emergency services, the spill was completely contained within the immediate area and disposed of in compliance with all applicable environmental regulations. At no point was anyone in any danger whatsoever."

Milliken is the holder of the British Safety Council's 5-Star award for environmental excellence and steps are already being taken to prevent any similar spills in the future.