A lorry driver was taken to hospital after a bag of toxic chemicals was found to be leaking.

The man discovered the spill at 7.26am yesterday on board a lorry at Harwich which had come off the Stena Rotterdam service. When he opened the back of the trailer, he noticed one of the bags had split and there was white powder coming out.

The chemical, which was called Basamid and is used in soil treatment, was not removed from the trailer. Dovercourt firefighters were called by the port authorities and the area was made secure by 10am.

However, a short time later the driver complained of dizziness and an ambulance was called to take him to Colchester General Hospital as a precaution. His condition is not thought to be serious.

Published Thursday, September 2, 2004

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