‘Chemical incident’ closes roads with neighbours warned to keep windows shut

People in Greater Manchester are being urged to keep their doors and windows closed amid a ‘chemical incident’ this afternoon.

Video from the Manchester Evening News appears to show orange fumes spewing out of a tanker on West End Street, a residential road in Oldham.

Residents said they saw yellow smoke in the area at about 3.15pm.

West End Street and Chadderton Way have been shut, with photographs showing a line of ambulances outside a row of houses and a football pitch by the STS Oldham travel agents.

A woman working at Desi Cakes & Shakes on Chadderton Way told Metro: ‘I was stood outside and there were a lot of ambulances and fire engines and quite a lot of police cars.

‘There are a lot of rumours that it was a chemical leak in the factory and it was all cordoned off.

The woman, who lives locally, said they have not been told ‘to stay inside.’

‘But to be honest, we are all getting headaches and stuff,’ she said, adding that other staff claimed they can ‘feel it in the eyes.’

‘I don’t know what sort of a chemical leak it was,’ she added.

A staff member at JWN Tyres at the bottom of West End Street said the top of the road is cordoned off, but he hadn’t ‘heard anything’ about a chemical incident.

‘They’ve blocked the road,’ he added to Metro.

‘We are now dealing with the clean-up, crews are blocking drains and containing spills. There is no ongoing risk to the public or to the environment.’

Emergency workers in hazmat suits have been spotted hosing down the street.

Inrix, the traffic data company, said: ‘Chadderton Way in both directions closed, queueing traffic due to accident between A627 Oldham Way and A671 Rochdale Road. West End Street is also closed.’

Emergency services, including an ambulance and a Hazardous Area Response Team, are on the scene. Firefighters have been on the road since 3.15pm.

The police told Metro: ‘Officers are currently supporting colleagues in the fire service as they carry out work following an incident on West End Street, Oldham.

‘The public are asked to avoid the area, and keep their doors and windows closed if nearby.’

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