MANAGERS of a large chemical firm in Stoke Prior made their first appearance at the annual parish meeting to explain new safety regulations protecting villagers living near the plant.

PolymerLatex managing director Graham Reed gave a presentation on Monday to show how the company is adapting to the regulations concerning the control of major accidents.

Concerns had been expressed at parish council meetings throughout the year about smells coming from the factory and a lack of information about what to do in the event of a major fire or chemical leak.

The advice given on Monday was to go indoors and listen to radio for updates on whether the plant had been made safe.

Emergency services and local authorities would work with the firm to contain any major incident, and evacuation procedures would be in place for extreme cases.

Mr Reed said sprinkler systems at the plants would help contain leaks or fires, and bosses were considering upgrading the alarm system to give villagers better early warnings.

He said the firm had spent £10m in five years on improving safety and in many respects was already up to date with the new regulations.

Protests by animal rights campaigners, when activists climbed the roof of nearby sister company Bayer, have also prompted them to liaise with police about improving security.

The incident happened because of links with Huntingdon Life Sciences.

It is a major laboratory, near Cambridge, which tests on animals.