POLICE today revealed diesel thieves were behind a chemical spill which caused chaos on a Hadleigh industrial estate.More than 25 firefighters from Hadleigh, Felixstowe, Haverhill and Ipswich were sent to Suffolk and Essex Supplies on the Lady Lane Industrial Estate last Wednesday after 1,000 litres of hydrochloric acid, 25 litres of sodium hydrochloride and 25 litres of coalene creosote were spilt.

POLICE today revealed diesel thieves were behind a chemical spill which caused chaos on a Hadleigh industrial estate.

More than 25 firefighters from Hadleigh, Felixstowe, Haverhill and Ipswich were sent to Suffolk and Essex Supplies on the Lady Lane Industrial Estate last Wednesday after 1,000 litres of hydrochloric acid, 25 litres of sodium hydrochloride and 25 litres of coalene creosote were spilt.

Police were called to the warehouse, which produces chemicals for swimming pools, farms and cleaning, at 3.45am after a member of staff had arrived for work and discovered the gates were open.

Now it has emerged that between 7.45pm on Tuesday and 3.45am on Wednesday thieves broke into the premises and siphoned about 100 litres of diesel from a lorry.

Whilst in the yard they emptied two drums of chemicals into the yard causing toxic fumes to be released into the air.

A public safety cordon was set up and the fire service attended and washed the chemicals away.

The area remained closed to the public until 7am.

Police are linking the crime to an earlier criminal damage offence on the same estate.

It happened at 8.15pm on Tuesday when the perimeter fence was damaged.

CCTV showed a white Ford Transit van pull up to the gates of the business and reverse away.

Anyone with information should call Pc Wayne Souza at Hadleigh police on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.