OUR photographer Sarah Caldecott has been to the scene of major fire at a former recycling plant.
Emergency services were called to Shee Recycling site in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, at around 11pm last night.
Fire crews have been there all night and are continuing to deal with the aftermath today.
Residents have reported a drop in water pressure and been advised to close their windows until the smoke clears.
Read more: Recycling plant destroyed by huge fire was subject to criminal investigation
The smoke has also affected traffic in the area and closed at two primary schools.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Peter Heath, of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are currently still in attendance of an incident at a commercial property on Durham Road in Birtley.
“However we are on top of the incident and have downgraded from a major incident to a significant fire and have begun scaling back our presence.
“We will be on site for the rest of today and most of tomorrow ensuring that the site is safe and beginning our investigation into the cause of the fire.
“Thankfully there are no causalities at this incident and none of our firefighters have been injured in tackling the fire.
“We would like to thank our partners for working with us in this situation and keeping the community safe.
“There is still a significant amount of smoke in the air and as the wind picks up and heads north it will begin to move towards the A1.
“So please keep your windows and doors closed and stay away from the site where possible.”
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