A TOXICOLOGY expert said last night that fumes from the North Shields chemical blaze were unlikely to pose a serious health threat to residents.

Dr Faith Williams, a lecturer in environmental and occupational medicine at Newcastle University, said if the burning material only consisted of low-flash hydrocarbon solvents, the blaze did not constitute a major toxicological hazard.

"The toxicity of the flames are probably not enormously bad unless you are exposed to really, really high levels and the public are probably not going to be," she said.

Dr Williams said burning hydrocarbon solvents did not set off "major alarm bells" in relation to toxicity of fumes.

"They are some of the safer things," she said.

Dr Williams said the creation of an exclusion zone and the evacuation of nearby residents were sensible precautions.

"If it is hydrocarbons, it is not likely to have long-term effects," said Dr Williams.

"If you were really close and you inhaled a whole lot of fumes then you might suffer, but if people are moved away the fumes dissipate really quite rapidly."

She said those people working on the site at the time of the blaze were the most likely to be in danger from inhaling toxic fumes.

"Hopefully, the fumes are blowing out to sea," said Dr Williams.

Solvents were used in paints, nail varnishes and a range of other products, she said.