A MAJOR chemical disaster has been averted by firefighters.

Between Friday (Aug 9) and Monday (Aug 12), millions of gallons of water were poured on to a chemical storage silo at the Baerlocher plastic manufacturing plant on the border of Bury and Heywood.

The silo contained around 40 tons of lead oxide phosphenate and impurities in the white power are believed to have generated a reaction causing the toxic substance to burn.

Staff at Baerlocher and a number of neighbouring businesses were evacuated for a short period on Friday.

Fire crews used hose reels to keep the silo cool as temperatures inside the storage chamber threatened to melt the aluminium structure at the Moss Hall Road factory.

Station Officer Paul Myerscough from Bury Fire Service, said: "At one point on Friday we stopped putting water on the silo while a temperature reading was taken. In just 15 minutes the temperature increased from 17 degrees to 130 degrees.

"Chemists at Baerlocher warned of opening the silo and pouring water directly on to the chemical. This would have resulted in officers and the public being exposed to poisonous fumes. It was decided the safest action was to keep the silo walls cool with water and let the chemical reaction burn itself out."

Fire crews left the factory on Monday following successful containment of the incident.