Residents have been advised to keep their windows shut after an industrial fire smoulders on, a day after it broke out.
The blaze, at a tenanted warehouse at the Port of Tyne, is still ongoing but has been brought "under control" by authorities, and they have said that the next stage of work to extinguish smouldering components can begin.
It broke out yesterday afternoon (Wednesday, June 26) at the South Shields site, though the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Residents near to the Port of Tyne have been advised to keep their windows and doors shut, as clouds of smoke could reappear whilst efforts continue to put the flames out. 
A spokesperson for the Port of Tyne said: "The fire at a tenanted warehouse at the Port of Tyne is under control and the next stage of the operation to fully put out the smouldering components is beginning.
"It is anticipated that from the afternoon of Thursday 27th June work will begin on the warehouse, which will involve the safe removal of the roof and starting the removal of the warehouses’ content.
"This is expected to take several days as the contents are removed and then cooled.
"During this process there may be more smoke from the warehouse, and we advise local residents and businesses to keep their windows and doors shut for the time being.
"The Port’s operations team continues to support the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and the tenant, who remain on site."
“We would like to thank local residents and businesses for their co-operation as we seek to fully eliminate the risk of further fire and ensure the warehouse area is safe, and apologise for any disruption or inconvenience this causes anyone. Equally, we want to make sure they are kept aware of what is going on and why they might see more smoke.
“Moving the contents of the warehouse and cooling them is the safest and most expedient way of eliminating that risk and we appreciate the patience everyone is showing whilst the operation is undertaken.
“We would like to thank Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service for their support.”
A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Our crews have remained onsite at Tyne Dock to continue their firefighting actions throughout the night.
“We currently have two fire appliances and an aerial ladder platform at the scene of the incident.
Most read:
- Darlington woman admits assaulting man with mobile phone
- Body of County Durham woman washed up after car abandoned
- Child Benefit £50 compensation payments after HMRC error
Get the latest news, sports, and entertainment delivered straight to your device by subscribing to The Northern Echo here.
“The exact cause of the fire is still to be determined, and any necessary investigations will be delivered once the incident has been brought to a full close.
“We are now classing the incident as a smouldering fire but with continuing activity on-site there could be the chance of some clouds of smoke re-appearing later in the day. Therefore we would still advise for people to keep their windows and doors closed for the time being until the end of the incident.
“A fire service presence will remain onsite as we continue to work alongside our partners and the site operators.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here