A SUSPICIOUS leak near the site of a former chemical works caused chaos for drivers at the weekend.

The fire brigade were called to Faverdale, in Darlington, on Saturday lunchtime after reports of a red liquid coming out of a manhole cover and running into a drain in West Auckland Road.

The road, which is being altered to accommodate the nearby West Park housing development, was closed in both directions while the source of the liquid was traced.

A fire crew investigated both the West Park development, being built on the site of the former Darchem chemical works, and the opposite Faverdale Industrial estate to see if there was any explanation for the leak, but found nothing.

Fire officers also visited homes in the area, asking residents to keep windows closed until the substance could be proved as non-dangerous. Meanwhile, vehicles were diverted from West Auckland Road.

Experts from the Environment Agency, Northumbrian Water and Darlington Borough Council were called to the scene and while the cause of the red colouring was not found, it was established that the fluid was non-toxic.

After the road had been closed for two hours, a sewer blockage was discovered and when it was dealt with, the liquid began to run clear and was declared safe.

A spokesman for Darlington fire brigade said: "We treated it as a major incident until we were sure the substance was not dangerous.

"We had to close the main road to stop cars driving through the substance. If it had been toxic, we would have then had to find all the vehicles that had been contaminated. As soon as we knew it was safe the road was reopened."

The Environment Agency is investigating the cause of the blockage.