A LORRY driver has been praised by firefighters following his quick action after a chemical spill on the A13.

The spillage closed all four lanes of the road between Junction 30 with the M25 and the North Stifford interchange.

Fire crews from Orsett and Grays were called to the scene on Tuesday evening to deal with the unknown corrosive substance.

The driver of the lorry carrying the load was headed east at about 8.40pm when he first noticed the leak, though he was unsure when the problem started.

Mark Elliott, station officer at Grays fire station, said: “The driver did an excellent job.

“Once he noticed the spillage he pulled over and used his spill kit to absorb the leak and stop the chemical entering the drainage system.

“We closed the A13 to remove any risk to the public while we awaited advice from a scientific advisor as to the best way of making the area safe.

“In the end, we made sure the leakage had stopped, then called a private cleaning company to wash the chemicals away. We also got the driver checked out as he had obviously been exposedl.”

Police were called to close the road and an ambulance also attended as a precaution, though there were no casualties. The road was closed in both directions just before 10pm and remained closed until just after midnight.

The lorry was carrying several different chemicals and officials are still unsure which one leaked. For safety reasons, however, firefighters treated the spill as being potentially highly corrosive