A house was cordoned off last night following a mercury spillage.

They were called at 7.30pm after a barometer broke in a house in Burntwood Lane, Earlsfield.

Fire crews cordoned off the area and marked it as a chemical incident, with scientific advisers called to clear it up.

A hazardous material officer was also on hand to give advice.

There were two adults and a couple of children in the house at the time, but nobody was injured.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: "It's very poisonous if you ingest it, it is a skin irritant and it is a carcinogenic."