3,500 tonnes of timber alight in Greater Manchester

About 3,500 tonnes of recycled timber stacked six storeys high has been destroyed in a massive blaze in Greater Manchester.

A pile about 30m in area and up to 20m high caught fire at the Armstrong Environmental recycling plant in Horwich, Bolton on Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters were still on site Friday morning, battling problems with water supply.

The BBC reported so much water was used that 200 homes are having trouble accessing supply, while pumps were set into brooks to access new supplies.

Staff at Armstrong Environmental, a specialist waste management firm, also helped battle the blaze by using diggers to cut fire breaks.