Emergency alert after gas leak at chemical plant
AN investigation was under way last night after a major gas leak at the Grangemouth petrochemical plant.
Hundreds of staff were evacuated following the discovery of the leak in a pipeline at the Ineos-owned site in Stirlingshire yesterday.
Emergency services were called at midday and nearby roads were closed.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent eight vehicles to support the energy giant’s on-site fire engines.
A Scottish Ambulance Service special operations response team attended – but there were no casualties.
In a statement, Ineos said: ‘There was an incident at our KG [Kinneil Gas] plant. Staff were evacuated from the immediate area and emergency procedures were implemented.
‘As a precautionary measure, we asked Police Scotland to close Wholeflats Road. Our on-site emergency response team and the emergency services are attending the incident.’
The company added: ‘The incident was caused by a leak in a pipe carrying ethylene gas, which has been identified and is being isolated. Measures were put in place to contain the leak in the immediate vicinity of the plant.
‘All of the people working in the area have been accounted for and there were no injuries. Other areas within the Grangemouth complex, including the adjacent refinery, were unaffected by the incident.
‘A full investigation is under way. The regulators have been kept fully informed throughout.’
It is believed gas fumes began seeping from a ricochet pipe, setting off alarms at the plant.
A Falkirk Council spokesman said school pupils in Grangemouth were kept indoors at lunchtime as a precaution, following a request from police.
Local resident Olivia Currie said: ‘The alarm lasted about five to ten minutes. At first I thought it was just a practice, but when I saw the fire engines and police cars I didn’t know what was happening.’
Her father Stuart said: ‘We have friends and family who work in the plant, so we were phoning them to find out if they were OK and what had happened.’
Pat Rafferty of the Unite union said: ‘The leak at Ineos is a very concerning development. Unite has written to the company requesting an urgent meeting to ascertain the cause of the leak.’
Police Scotland said the incident was contained on site. Superintendent Brian Auld said: ‘I would like to thank the local community for their patience and co-operation. Officers are working with industry staff to ensure business continuity at the site.
‘We will continue to minimise disruption to the public.’
All roads in the area were reopened last night.
‘I didn’t know what was happening’