Army bomb squad specialists have been called to a UK nuclear plant after hazardous chemicals were discovered in a lab.

The military teams are still dealing with an incident at Sellafield reprocessing plant, in Cumbria, after the dangerous chemicals were found inside a number of canisters.

The discovery, which sparked a scare in the plant, was made during a routine audit at a laboratory at the site.

The chemicals are industrial solvents, such as Tetrahydrofuran, which are potentially flammable in liquid states and can crystallise and become unstable when exposed to air.

Dangerous chemicals were found inside a number of canisters at Sellafield reprocessing plant in Cumbria (
Image:
PA)

None of the chemicals are nuclear or radiological materials, a spokesman for Sellafield said.

After the discovery of the chemicals, which had been stored in the lab since 1992, protocols for handling hazardous chemicals meant the Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team were called around 8pm last night to assess the situation.

An area of the site is cordoned off as a precaution - but the rest of the site is operational and the majority of weekend staff are working normally.

The Bomb Squad has returned this morning to help dispose of the chemicals safely.

A controlled explosion is set to be carried out (
Image:
Daily Mirror)

A spokesman for Sellafield said the Army team will dig a trench, bury the canisters using sandbags, and detonate them in a controlled manner.

This will create a noise that will be audible off-site, but the Army said there is no cause for alarm.