FIRE crews remain at the scene of a major fire at a North-East waste depot, amid rising anger at the second major blaze at the site in three years.

Dozens of firefighters were called to Albert Hill Skip Hire, in Darlington, on Saturday (May 25) evening.

Crews worked overnight to bring under control a blaze in a 1,400sq metre warehouse filled with 5,000 tonnes of rubbish.

The scenes on Saturday evening were reminiscent of a blaze at the site in 2010, which led to widespread criticism of the way the company is managed.

Darlington MP Jenny Chapman called for strong action to be taken against the owners of the site.

“I am absolutely furious that this has been allowed to happen again," she said.

Mrs Chapman has had complaints from constituents about smoke from the fire causing disruption to their plans for the Bank Holiday weekend.

A spokeswoman for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said an investigation into the cause of Saturday’s fire could only begin once crews had left the scene.

Two appliances remained at the depot, on St Nicholas Industrial Estate, throughout Monday (May 27).

Councillors in the North Road ward, one of the areas close to where the fire broke out, have also called for action to be taken.

Liberal Democrat councillors Anne-Marie Curry, Alan Macnab (correct) and Fred Lawton released a joint statement.

It said: “We are shocked that a major fire has again occurred at the same site.

“We are concerned that the health and safety of residents has again been put at risk from this site, with smoke drifting over residential areas.

“We were told that the whole site had been legally closed down. Is this closure being policed?

“Residents need assurance that action is being taken to avoid the possibility of any future fires on this site.”

Last year, Albert Hill Skip Hire was banned from transporting waste after breaching environmental regulations.

The Northern Echo has been unable to contact anyone from the company for comment.