PEOPLE living near a chemical plant today spoke of how they refused to let New Year celebrations go by the wayside after a fire forced them to stay indoors.

Emergency contingency plans were activated when the blaze in a sulphur pit at William Blythe Chemicals, in Manchester Road, Hapton, broke out around 10pm as New Year celebrations approached their peak.

The company has launched an in-depth investigation to discover how the blaze happened while the works was shut.

The site, which makes inorganic chemical products for the chemical, water treatment and paper industries, suffered a blaze in July last year when 30 workers had to be evacuated.

But most people refused to let the incident spoil their fun and said it passed off without affecting celebrations, despite several roads being closed and emergency crews advising people to stay indoors.

Bill Gregory, 85, of Kingsway, said he had been for a walk and was returning home at about 10.30pm when he saw the road had been closed.

He added: "I spoke to a police officer who said I should not pass the barrier but when I told him I lived on the road he let me pass and soon after that the road re-opened. I don't think there was any major crisis."

Christine Birtwistle, licensee of the Winchester Club, Cobden Street, where a New Year's party was in full swing, said: "It didn't affect us at all. The first we heard was on the news the next day but the party went ahead as planned."

Pat Jones, of Bridgefield Street, said: "I had been walking the dog with my husband when we heard the alarm. At first we thought it might have been the Post Office or a burglar alarm at a house so we thought nothing of it. Luckily the incident turned out to be nothing too serious, but I hope the village would be better informed if it were."

Chairman of the parish council Joan Lakeland, of Lane Ends, said: "I could hear people setting off fireworks and things so I don't think New Year's Eve was affected too greatly by what happened and the factory and emergency services all well used to dealing with incidents like this so it wasn't anything to get alarmed about."

Brian Sanderson, site operations manager for William Blythe Chemicals, said: "It was a small fire in the sulphur pit. When anything like this happens we will have an in-depth investigation.

"We have got to determine why a fire started while no-one was working. We will look at the source of ignition

"The watchman phoned the emergency services and other colleagues after the alarm activated. The workers helped emergency services extinguish the blaze.

Mr Sanderson said that the fire was in a different part of the plant from the fire in July.

Fire crews spent about an hour dealing with the incident.

Inspector Steve Coles, of Lancashire Police, said: "The chemical manufacturing plant is governed by regulations which meant an emergency contingency plan had to be activated and Lancashire County Council had to be informed. Some local roads were closed and nearby residents were advised to stay indoors and close windows.

"Happily the fire was only small and contained to the sulphur pit and the environmental and human health hazards were low. By 11.10am residents were advised that the danger had passed."