FIRE service bosses in the region yesterday urged businesses to have automatic sprinkler systems installed.

The call comes after The Northern Echo's main office was saved from serious damage.

A blaze broke out in a third-floor storage room of the building in Priestgate, Darlington, on Tuesday night.

The fire was controlled after two sprinkler heads were activated, preventing it spreading further.

There was minor water damage, but investigators said the sprinklers had saved the building from serious risk.

In December last year, a blaze at fireplace firm Suncrest Surrounds, of Peterlee, County Durham, was quickly controlled because the premises had been rebuilt with automatic sprinklers after a major fire in 1998.

Fire and rescue chiefs recommend that such systems are fitted to all premises.

While legislation states that automatic sprinklers must be installed in some properties, there is no requirement for them to be fitted to premises such as large single-storey buildings or schools.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service's fire safety manager, Phillip Ward, said there was a misconception that water damage caused by sprinklers could be worse than fire damage.

"The incidents at the second fire at Suncrest and at The Northern Echo, in Darlington, are clear proof of premises not being totally destroyed by a fire and businesses still being able to operate as a result of the successful operation of automatic sprinklers," he said.

"There have been no recorded incidents in the United Kingdom of lives being lost in fires where automatic sprinklers have operated, providing further evidence that sprinklers not only protect the physical nature of the building, but also ensure that occupants of premises are in a very safe environment."

David Kelly, managing director of Newsquest North-East, publisher of The Northern Echo, said: "We have extensive and well-maintained systems and they are there to protect all our staff and the continuity of our business.

"Tuesday night's incident proves this works."