Gardaí have issued an appeal after a number of plastic drums containing dangerous chemicals were taken during a robbery in Limerick over the weekend.

Two 15kg white plastic drums of caustic soda and two 15kg yellow plastic drums of nitric acid were taken from a factory on the Kilmallock Road in the early hours of Saturday 14 July.

Gardaí have appealed to the public to avoid the drums and report any sightings of them.

Caustic soda can cause skin corrosion and is extremely dangerous if inhaled or swallowed. It is also corrosive to metals.

Nitric acid can cause a fatal build up of fluid in the lungs if inhaled and also poses a serious risk of eye damage.