Hundreds of people were evacuated after a chemical leak at a Whitstable factory today.

The Amphenol site on the Thanet Way was shut off after the release of a hazardous gas in one of the buildings on the plot.

Firefighters said the chemicals mixed to form the potentially deadly substance hydrogen cyandide.

Two police cars, three fire engines and a special incident team raced to the scene at 11am after the alarm was raised.

The leak was contained within the manufacturer’s plating shop while about 200 staff waited within the fenced-off site.

The access road along the Thanet Way was shut off but re-opened within two hours.

Firefighter Richard Judge said: “There was a leak of chemicals in the plating shop. Amphenol’s action plan in such cases is to evacuate the staff, shut down the plating shop, assess it and call us.

“The chemical produced by the leak was hydrogen cyanide, which is potentially very dangerous, but the fumes naturally dissipated and there were no hazards outside.”

After a number of checks by chemical experts, staff were allowed back into the building at 1pm.

Amphenol boss Andy Bragg said: “We regularly review our evacuation plans with the fire service and are pleased to report they were very complimentary about how these plans were implemented.

“We can also confirm that no employees have been affected by this small release.

“I would like to thank both the police and the fire service for their prompt and professional response.”