FIREFIGHTERS said today that a massive blaze at a recycled plastics factory near Selby could have been started deliberately.

Firefighters were still battling flames today after racks of uPVC, generally used for window frames, went up in smoke in an outside yard at Ecoplas factory, Whitemoor Business Park, Cliffe Common.

A factory employee alerted the emergency services at about 10pm last night.

At the height of the fire, six pumps from Selby, Tadcaster, York, Huntington and Acomb were fighting the flames, with many of the firefighters wearing breathing equipment.

Firefighter Mark Upton, based at Selby, said the thick black smoke could be seen from both York and Selby.

He said: "There were plumes of thick, black acrid smoke drifting across the carriageway towards Skipwith. The smoke was mixed with flames. It was very toxic."

Station Officer Andy Hopkinson, said the smoke had carried "as far as the eye could see."

Mr Hopkinson, based at York, said: "The cloud was two or three miles long and about 400ft high. It was very thick, dense, black smoke, that could be an irritant.

"We had to stop the radiant heat from igniting other buildings and spreading inside. We also had to contain all the run-off water, as it would have been highly contaminated.

"Changes in wind direction caused us a big problem. It was very chaotic, but I cannot stress enough how well the fire service has done."

Today, firefighters continued to tackle the fire, surrounded by charred metal racks and smouldering uPVC.

Mr Hopkinson said investigations into the cause of the fire would be continuing.

PC Tony Wadsworth, of Selby Police, said anyone with information should contact him on 01757 702596.

Nearby residents were warned to keep their windows and doors closed to ensure they were not affected by the smoke.

Updated: 12:01 Saturday, July 19, 2003