Environmental experts zoned in on a Moray whisky distillery yesterday to investigate a chemical spill.
A vat of nitrous acid leaked onto a storeroom floor at the Longmorn distillery outside Elgin on Monday afternoon, forcing staff to be evacuated from the building.
Firefighters wearing special gas-tight suits spent almost 12 hours decontaminating the affected area, before finally giving it the all-clear at midnight.
Yesterday, representatives from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) carried out preliminary inspections into the incident.
Sepa investigators said the outbreak did not appear to have had any negative impact on the surrounding environment, but that its officers will continue to monitor the area around the single malt plant for traces of contamination.
A spokesman said: “We were informed by the police of a chemical spill at Longmorn Distillery, on the outskirts of Elgin.
“Sepa officers were not requested to attend the site during the emergency response, but we have subsequently been on site to support the emergency services and site operators.
“We believe there has been no impact on the environment, however, officers will continue to monitor the area.”
The Health and Safety Executive is understood to have also sent representatives to Longmorn, but last night the body could not confirm whether any inquiry would take place into the circumstances surrounding the acid leak.
Fire chiefs say the clean-up operation was carefully organised to avoid personnel undergoing prolonged exposure to the dangerous chemicals.
A spokesman said: “Our crews arrived at the distillery at 12.50pm on Monday and the last engine left at midnight.
“There were multi-agency briefings every half hour during the operation, and we sent four firefighters in at a time to clear the place.
“Due to the nature of the incident, they had to go in and out of the building at regular intervals.
“We didn’t want them exposed to the chemicals for a long period.”
Incident Commander Gordon Morrison, who is also station manager at Elgin, met Sepa and HSE agents at the distillery yesterday morning and handed control over the incident to them.
The Chivas Brothers drinks firm, which owns the Longmorn Distillery, was not available for comment.
