Sunderland waste plant fire 'could burn for weeks'

The fire on Deptford Terrace started some time before 18:00 GMT

A fire involving more than 30,000 tonnes of waste that broke out in Sunderland on Monday could burn for weeks, firefighters have warned.

More than 50 firefighters were called to Deptford Terrace shortly after 18:00 BST to deal with the blaze at a disused recycling facility.

It created a plume of smoke that could be seen several miles away.

A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service spokesman described the fire as "extremely challenging".

Smoke from the fire could be seen as far as Redcar on Teesside and on social media people reported seeing it in Hartlepool and Newcastle.

There were no reported injuries.

The thick plume of smoke could be seen as far as Redcar, Hartlepool and Newcastle

More than 50 firefighters tackled the blaze

Assistant chief fire officer Alan Robson said: "There are still some very deep seated areas of fire within the building, which makes this extremely challenging.

"The waste itself is around 4m (13ft) high, so that's the size of a normal house and the building is more than 100m (328ft) long.

"At this point we are looking at this going for some considerable time yet. That could be days, it could be weeks."

The recycling facility, which stores a mixture of industrial and domestic waste, was abandoned three years ago when the company that owned it went bust.

Sunderland City Council has been considering options for bringing the site back into use, but said this would cost millions of pounds.

Environment Agency staff are working with the council to determine if the fire has had any effect on ground water and air quality.

Public Health England has urged surrounding businesses and residents to seek medical help if they suffer any respiratory difficulties.