Angry residents are up in arms after lethal chemicals including cyanide were removed from a former electroplating company without warning.

Contractors working for the Environment Agency wore protective suits and masks before entering the site, which belonged to the Spen Valley Electro-Plating Company Limited in Frost Hill, Liversedge, for the clean-up.

Two truckloads of metal drums containing the chemicals were taken away from the site yesterday and a third was expected to be removed today.

Stuart Jenkinson, the head of EA's Enforcement Section, said it was "the worst case" of hazardous chemical storage he'd ever seen and an investigation had been launched.

The joint operation was mounted by the Environment Agency and Kirklees Council's environmental health officers after an earlier chemical spill at the company in July. But Nicola Rowden, a playworker who runs the Millbridge Playscheme in the grounds of the neighbouring Millbridge Junior, Infant & Nursery School, said she was given no notification of the move.

"We've been here all summer and knew nothing about this," she said. "The school's playground backs right onto the back of these buildings. We've got children as young as four at our club and we do a lot of activities outside."

Timothy Buckley, of Keir Hardie Close, next to the school, said he was outraged no letters had been sent round warning residents.

"I could smell and taste chemicals in the air this morning but I didn't know anything about the cyanide. I'm disgusted we weren't told what was happening," he said.

Carol Sampson, owner of Gobbles Sandwich Bar in Frost Hill, said she found out the chemicals were being moved from EA workers who came into her shop buy their lunch.

Mr Jenkinson said the operation had been kept quiet for security reasons to prevent any break-ins at the site, which was closed in July after acid sludge leaked into the yard.

He said: "We found quite a horror story of contamination inside this building, especially the way cyanide and acids were being stored in rotting metal drums.

"The clean-up is making the residents' position more secure than it has been for the last 20 to 30 years while the firm has been here."

A Kirklees Council spokesman said after the spill in July the company posted a 24-hour security guard to protect the site and fencing was put up.

The spokesman said: "There wasn't a direct affect on the school and there should be no future affect on it once all the hazardous chemicals are removed. We have notified the head teacher and the Environment Agency has fenced off all the site."

No-one from the company could be contacted.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.