GAZETTE & HERALD: ABOUT 20 staff were evacuated from the Faccenda chicken processing factory in Sutton Benger yesterday after a chemical scare.

Fire crews were called to the plant after a case of lead batteries in a building next to the main factory split open giving off sulphur acid fumes.

No one was injured during the incident but staff were evacuated as a precaution while firefighters made the area safe.

The incident happened at 4.30pm in a gate lodge building used as a first aid room. Workers in an adjoining room were ordered to leave while the firfighters went into action.

Two fire crews from Chippenham and one from Malmesbury attended the scene and used breathing apparatus while they made sure the batteries were extinguished.

Sub officer Dave Jacomb said : 'The bank of batteries was used to back up the computer system and some of them had split open and there were sulphuric acid fumes.

"By the time we got there the site owners has isolated it and we ventilated the are with mechanical fans.

The company, which employs more than 500 people, took over the plant in December 2000 from Webbs Country Food Ltd.

Faccenda is the second largest poultry processor in the UK with an estimated annual turnover of £330m.

Last year around 130 permanent jobs were lost amid fears that overseas workers were being brought in as cheap labour.