MANAGERS of a North-East factory site ravaged by major fire last night praised firefighters for saving their main plant from the blaze.

They said a catastrophe had been averted and lauded the actions of factory worker Ron Cloe, who donned an oxygen mask and firesuit to forklift dozens of drums of inflammable liquids out of harm's way.

Police are treating the fire, which broke out in the storage area of the former Ever Ready factory near Stanley, County Durham, as suspicious - and will today begin sifting through the remains.

Firefighters were called to the plant, now run by E&R Polymers, at 8.30pm, on Wednesday.

At its height 13 fire crews and three specialist equipment teams - more than 70 firefighters in total - tackled 50ft flames at the factory.

A pall of thick black smoke could be seen as far away as Newcastle, more than ten miles away, as about 4,000 bales of rubber and 50,000 litres of oil were destroyed.

But, with the help of a police helicopter, firefighters were able to identify hotspots and create a curtain of water to prevent the oil tanks from exploding.

Site manager John Meredith said last night: "The firefighters, through their prompt action, averted what could have been a catastrophe.

"Special mention must also go to our materials manager Ron Cloe, who helped the fire brigade remove drums of solvents and highly inflammable materials from our solvent store outside."

A reluctant hero, Mr Cloe said: "I was only doing what anyone else would have done."

The charred oil tanks will be replaced by backup tanks with production expected to begin again today. An Environment Agency spokesman said an interceptor installed in the drainage system had prevented pollutants escaping the site.