Firefighters, ambulance staff and a hazard response team were called to a small village on the Essex/Suffolk border after contractors found and “unknown chemical” at a property.

The chemical was reported to have frozen when it was split from a container in Pentlow, which is between Sudbury and Clare – and people around it were said to have felt unwell.

Ten fire crews from Essex and Suffolk were called to The Street at around 1.38pm this afternoon – but have since stood down.

A spokesman for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said the call came in after “contractors found and unknown chemical at a premises”.

“After further investigation firefighters confirmed that the chemical was not hazardous,” the spokesman added.

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust said it dispatched ambulances and the hazardous area response team to assist.

“Three patients have been discharged at the scene with no injuries of note and didn’t further hospital care,” a spokesman added.

It is also not clear yet what the chemical is.