THE Environment Agency have said no hazardous materials escaped after yesterday’s chemical spill in Royston.

Around 300 litres of dangerous chemicals leaked in a disused industrial unit, on Newark Close, closing roads and evacuating businesses.

However due to a pollution plan put in place by the owners of the disused Tru-lon Printed Circuits site all the leaked waste was stored on site.

An Environmental Agency spokesman said: “At this site they had a pollution prevention plan in place so the chemicals were all contained in gullies.

“There’s no environmental risk, not as far as we are aware.”

Initial reports suggested some of the dangerous chemicals leaked into a storm drain but The Environmental Agency said the drain was in fact part of a pollution control system.

The incident took place at 4.07pm and firefighters from across Hertfordshire were scrambled to the site.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue said: “Two chemicals reacted with each other which caused the lid to pop off and spill out on to the concrete.

“The firefighters then left it to react to the concrete and it began gassing off after being advised by Bureau Veritas.

“Our firefighters to ensure it was working and cooling down were in chemical suits and they used thermal imaging equipment.”

Police shut Old North Road at the junction of York Way and Orchard Road was closed at the junction of Greenfield.

The fire service said the stop message came in at 9.21pm last night.

No-one was harmed in the incident.