Fire crews have contained a huge fire which took hold of a Hitchin scrapyard this morning.
Around 35 firefighters were called to the scene of the 300-tonne blaze at Metal & Waste Recycling Ltd in Wallace Way at around 5.30am today.
A spokesman for Metal & Waste Recycling Ltd said: "In the early hours of December 19, our safety systems detected a fire at our facility on Wallace Way, Hitchin.
"Our incident processes were immediately deployed and both our teams and emergency services were quickly on site.
"The fire has now been contained and brought under control and there have been no injuries.
"Our thanks go to Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and our team who quickly reduced risk and made the area safe. We apologise to our neighbours affected by this.
"We will now work alongside the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation."
Wallace Way has been closed while emergency services deal with the fire.
The chief fire officer for Hertfordshire, Darryl Keen, said: "Police and Public Health England have been working with the fire service to ensure public safety is maintained while firefighters bring the blaze under control.
"We recommended to residents and businesses in Ickleford and the surrounding areas that they keep their doors and windows shut at this time. Wallace Way, just off Cadwell Lane, will remain closed as the situation is dealt with.
"The smoke plume has been affecting the Ickleford area and we have been working with Public Health England to ensure public safety and we've asked residents to remain indoors if they can while the fire is tackled, but we don't believe there is a significant risk to health.
"At 11.45am the fire had been scaled down from eight fire engines to six pumps and we are still using our aerial ladder platform to gain height over the incident to apply water in large quantities as part of the firefighting processes.
"We are working as well with the Environment Agency to contain the water run-off to ensure that it doesn't contaminate the local area.
"No impact has been made on the nearby railway line which is running as normal. Police and fire have been visiting local businesses and residents in the area and providing relevant safety advice."
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