By Elisabeth O'Leary
EDINBURGH (Reuters) - A gas leak inside petrochemicals firm Ineos's Grangemouth site in Scotland was successfully contained on Tuesday after emergency services rushed to the scene, police said.
The incident forced the evacuation of non-essential staff and the closure of local roads. There were no reports of any injuries.
"The incident was caused by a leak on a pipe carrying ethylene gas which has been identified and is being isolated," Ineos said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
Earlier, the company said it had detected the leak on a pipeline inside its Kinneil Gas manufacturing plant at noon, prompting it to close a number of access gates and allow only essential personnel to enter the south side of the site.
Police said in a statement the incident had now been "contained on site", adding: "Officers would advise members of the public to go about their normal business."
Operations at the oil refinery were not impacted by the incident, Ineos said.
Scotland's Fire and Rescue Service sent eight fire engines to the scene.
The Grangemouth site covers about 1,700 acres and employs more than 1,300 people in an oil refinery and petrochemical plant by the estuary of the River Forth in central Scotland.
According to its website, the Grangemouth site contributes 4 percent of Scottish gross domestic product and makes up approximately 8 percent of the country's manufacturing base.
The site includes petrochemical plants and an adjacent oil refinery with a capacity to process about 200,000 barrels of crude per day.
