A HUGE pall of thick smoke hung over much of Bury on Wednesday night (Sept 20) after firebugs set fire to a large pile of rubbish.

And so intense were the fumes that they triggered several smoke alarms over a wide area, including the detector at the town's telephone exchange.

The blaze broke out at around 6pm at a rubbish tip next to the Peel Mills at Castlecroft.

A section of the old building is being demolished while the site itself is undergoing a £1 million re-development to provide new industrial units and warehouse.

Arsonists targeted a massive pile of surplus roof felt and other debris left there by contractors.

Representatives from the company were called to the scene by senior fire officers and workmen used excavators to help source and move much of the burning refuse.

The main seat of fire was under a pile of bricks which had to be cleared away before firefighters could properly tackle the blaze.

Throughout the operation, thick black smoke rose hundreds of feet into the air and could be seen for several miles around.

Two fire crews from Bury spent seven hours at the scene. And during the evening, the brigade received numerous calls about smoke detectors activating as the smoke spread across the area.