A CHEMICAL scare caused part of Dewsbury to grind to a halt.
A lorry was involved in a crash with a car near the Esso garage on Wakefield Road near the town centre at 5pm yesterday.
No-one was hurt, but the lorry driver had braked hard and his load had shifted forward in the large container he was towing.
As he exchanged details with the other driver he noticed a liquid was seeping from the front of the container.
Firefighters were called and as a precaution declared it a possible chemical leak.
Crews donned full chemical protection suits and a specialist hazardous substance officer came to examine the substance.
The lorry was given a police escort from the scene to Ravensthorpe, where the load could be more fully examined.
The substance turned out to be cooking oil.
Crew Manager Steve Mitchell, from Dewsbury fire station, said: "It is always best to take precautions.
"The leaking oil was right at the front of the container and other items had pushed against it when the lorry braked.
"It was impossible to get to the front of the load to check what it was at the scene."
