Chemical Incident At Cosmetics Factory In Elsenham

22 October 2014, 08:11 | Updated: 22 October 2014, 08:12

Firefighters have been called to a chemical incident at the factory of cosmetic company Molten Brown near Stansted.

It happened at around 5.30pm yesterday after hydrochloric acid and caustic soda were mixed in a tank. This caused an exothermic reaction, which basically gives off a lot of heat.

The building on Green Street in Elsenham was evacuated as a precaution while the reaction was allowed to vent off.

Essex's Fire service said: "Crews confirmed that the chemical mixture was confined to a 50 litre tank which was in a secure area. They stood by while awaiting information from a scientific advisor.

"The company's own chemical spill clean up contractors were called in to ensure the incident was dealt with safely so no action was required from ECFRS crews who left the scene at 18:39 hrs."