meetings are to be arranged between a port and a Teesside scrap company after the third fire in a month.

Toxic black smoke could be seen for miles around after the fire at scrap dealers Van Dalen at Irvine Quay on Tuesday night and yesterday morning.

Firefighters worked through the night and into yesterday afternoon to put out the fire among a highly combustible 700 tonne pile of shredded tyres.

The fire was the third to ignite from the same scrapyard in little over a month. Hartlepool Fire Brigade has spent many days working to prevent the shredded tyres from reigniting.

Now development director Martyn Pellew, at PD Ports, Shipping and Logistics, which regulates and develops ports across Teesside, has promised to hold meetings with Chesterfield company Van Dalen.

He said last night: "I understand this is the same scrap which caused the initial problem and I fully appreciate that this can't go on.

"We have had letters from the public about alleged damage to property caused by this smoke, including one this afternoon, and we have passed them on to Van Dalen. We have had lesser problems with smaller fires with this company before. That is part of the problem with scrap but this situation is unusual. We will be having talks with Van Dalen to see how the problem can be sorted out as quickly as possible."

Councillor John Marshall, a member of Hartlepool Borough Council, has previously argued that recycling and scrap companies be moved away from his Headland ward area of Hartlepool.

But Mr Pellew said that the Van Dalen scrap is used for steel-making across the world and can only be used on ships that can carry heavy loads and so would have to remain at a deep port.

In the latest fire, smoke drifted out to sea, away from houses. Witness Darren Kinnersley said the smoke could be seen clearly from Seaton Carew, about two miles away. He said: "There were hundreds of cars going to see the smoke."

Hartlepool Stranton Fire Brigade sub-officer Pat McLoughlin said fire firefighters had worked into yesterday afternoon. They would continue to make regular calls to make the scrap safe until it was removed.

Van Dalen was unavailable for comment yesterday.