EMERGENCY services cordoned off part of a Poole beach after canisters of toxic material washed on to the shore.
Police cordoned off some 200 metres of Flaghead Chine and Shore Road while fire crews from Poole, Springbourne, and Westbourne worked to remove at least four 10-gallon canisters, thought to contain phosphoric acid, from the sand.
Firefighters, who were called at 3pm yesterday, donned special protective clothing before transferring the canisters into large air-tight drums for removal by the local authority, which handed them to the Environment Agency.
Incident Commander Mike Cox said the cordon had been put in place for the public’s safety.
“Our fire crews are trained in dealing with chemical incidents of this nature and I am fully confident that there will be little or no impact on the environment for the future,” he said.
Three 25-litre canisters were washed up at Shore Road and one at Canford Cliffs. They were corroded but not leaking.
Investigations about the origin of the canisters continue.
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