Fire engulfs recycling centre in Milton, Stoke-on-Trent

A major fire has broken out at a plastics recycling centre in Stoke-on-Trent.

The blaze at the site, in Leek New Road, Milton, is believed to have started before 08:00 GMT.

Deputy chief fire officer Rob Barber said the building was "collapsing upon itself", making the blaze difficult to tackle.

Staffordshire Fire Service said it had received 78 calls inside 10 minutes.

It said more than 30 firefighters were tackling the blaze.

The service advised people living nearby to keep their windows and doors shut until it could confirm smoke from the blaze was not harmful.

A large plume of smoke can be seen above Stoke-on-Trent

Mr Barber said: "We are doing our investigations in terms of exactly what's in the building to protect the local communities but also to protect our firefighters who are tackling this fire at the moment."

He said crews would be at the scene all day and possibly throughout the night.

An eyewitness called Allan told BBC Radio Stoke the fire was destroying the building. "The old recycling place is burning down and fire has got of most of the roof," he said.

Police said no-one was believed to be on site when the fire broke out.

A police spokeswoman said a cordon had been put in place for safety reasons and she advised people to avoid Redhills Road and the canal towpath, which were closed.

The fire service expects to be at the scene all day