THE owners of a chemical factory have vowed to update its warning system after a false alarm at the site caused panic among residents earlier this week.

Bosses at Elementis Chromium, in Eaglescliffe, said they had received calls from nearby houses after a siren was activated in the early hours of Tuesday.

The fire siren had been triggered by an electrical fault in the plant's detection system.

Bosses at the site, which is close to the edge of Eaglescliffe, said they were now taking steps to ensure the alarm would no longer be heard by nearby householders.

David Raw, technical director at Elementis, which is the only producer of chromium in the UK, said: "There is no need for the siren to be that loud and, because of the nature of the work that is done here, we understand completely the concerns of local residents who hear it going off.

"The fact is the alarm system has increased in volume over the years to ensure employees in all parts of the plant can hear it. But the technology is now available to do away with this system.

"On Monday night, the climatic conditions were such that the sound carried a long way over the local area, but there was nothing for people to be worried about."

Mr Raw said the company was planning to replace the siren with flashing lights and more localised alarms.

He said managers from the site had visited local residents following the latest scare to ensure they were made aware of the firm's new measures.