A CHLORINE gas leak left residents trapped in their homes.
Firefighters spent five hours on Sunday morning at Diversey Lever's factory at the Ashville industrial estate in Sutton Weaver.
Steam and oxides of carbon containing traces of chlorine were released after bags of product spilled.
"Two tonnes of dishwasher powder heated itself and ignited, giving off chlorine gas and mixture of other gases," said a spokesman for Runcorn fire brigade.
"Local residents were warned to stay indoors and close windows."
Roads were closed as emergency crews worked to contain the spillage.
A spokeswoman for Diversey Lever said: "The site was unoccupied at the time but our automatic systems called out the fire brigade.
"There were no injuries or adverse effects resulting from the incident or any damage to our property.
"We will be investigating and eliminating the cause of the incident."
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