FIRE crews were last night battling a large fire at a waste recycling plant.

More than 30 firefighters were called to the Alltrac Waste Recycling plant, on Hetton Lyons Industrial Estate, in Hetton-le-Hole, Wearside, shortly after 1.15pm yesterday.

A Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade spokesman said the service received a report of a fire in a waste recycling plant measuring about 70 metres by 50 metres.

The building’s first floor was well alight.

Seven pumps, two aerial platforms and 32 firefighters were sent to the industrial estate, which is on the edge of the town.

Police were called to ensure traffic moved safely. Traffic along Colliery Lane was reduced to one way, with vehicles required to slow to drive over a water hose spanning the B1285.

Smoke could be seen for miles around, and the smell of burning rubbish filled the area for several hours.

The fire started in a pile of rubbish in the building.

The firm is not open on Sundays and no one was reported injured in the fire.

The rubbish was not hazardous nor the smoke harmful, but the blaze was expected to continue into the night.

The fire service said it was too early to identify the cause.

Alltrac is a family-run skip hire and waste recycling company specialising in contract work for building sites and shopping centres, along with household waste. It owns more than 800 skips and a large fleet of service vehicles.

The firm has invested heavily in new equipment in recent years, allowing 85 per cent of material sent to the plant to be recycled.

No one from the firm was available for comment.