Workers were evacuated from a Fife distillery on Monday following a chemical leak.
Ten thousand litres of nitric acid spilled from a 28,000-litre storage tank at Diageo’s Cameronbridge facility at around 5.30am.
The plant at Windygates was immediately shut down to allow emergency services to deal with the incident.
Diageo said nobody was injured and the spillage was contained safely with no environmental impact.
However, as a precaution 20 employees and contractors were evacuated and residents nearby were advised to keep their doors and windows closed.
A specialist contractor came from Glasgow to pump out the spilled acid a process which took several hours.
Three fire engines were sent from Methil and Kirkcaldy, as well as a decontamination unit, to the grain distillery on the banks of the River Leven.
An ambulance was also on standby until the all-clear was given.
Nitric acid is a cleaning product widely used in the food and drinks industry, and is highly corrosive and toxic. It can release noxious gas if it comes into contact with water.
The incident mirrors that of July, 2009, when a full-scale alert was ordered following a spill of nitric acid, although no-one was injured then either.
A spokesman for Diageo, which is set to open a £45 million expansion at the Fife distillery later this year, said: “There has been a chemical leak at our site in Cameronbridge this morning caused by a leak in a process storage tank.
“The emergency services were immediately notified and arrived on site at 5.30am. No-one has been injured and the spillage is being contained safely with no environmental impact.
“The plant has been safely shut down while emergency services monitor the situation. A specialist contractor is on their way to support the remedy and recovery programme.”
The spokesman added that Diageo and its contractors worked closely with the emergency services to safely remove the chemical spillage.