TWO factories on the outskirts of Durham have been damaged by fire.

The factory units, in Langley Moor, were damaged by separate blazes only hours apart.

A small factory on the Towngate Business Centre was the first to be damaged. Fire crews were called to the unit at 7.20pm, on Monday. The building, which contained an articulated lorry, suffered an estimated £200,000-worth of damage.

The lorry and ten per cent of the roof were destroyed and the rest of the unit was damaged by heat and smoke.

Only hours later, a second fire started at the Interfloor factory, on the nearby Littleburn Industrial Estate.

Firefighters were called at about 1.40pm, on Tuesday. The fire was contained to a silo.

A spokesman for Durham Fire and Rescue Service said the first fire could have been caused by an electrical fault or a fuel leak and the second was being treated as an accident.