Sunderland waste plant blaze finally out

A mountain of smouldering rubbish was doused by firefighting equipment

A fire involving more than 30,000 tonnes of waste that broke out last month is finally out, firefighters say.

The blaze at a disused recycling facility on Sunderland's Deptford Terrace started on Monday 14 May with plumes of smoke visible for several miles.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said it had been a "significant incident to deal with".

The force's investigation into the cause is continuing.

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.

At the height of the blaze, smoke poured into the sky

More than 7,000 tonnes of waste have so far been taken out of the main warehouse since machinery began removing the material from the buildings just over two weeks ago.

The facility was abandoned in 2015 when the company running it went out of business.