EIGHT fire crews tackled a large blaze at a factory in Padiham last night.

Two crews were still at the scene in Partridge Hill, off Grove Lane, near the centre of the town, today damping down.

Firefighters were called at around 9pm and battled for just over two hours before the blaze was brought under control.

It took them a while to get on top of the blaze as different products were stored in various rooms of the 40 metre by 15 metre single-storey factory.

Firefighters had to break down the doors of each room and assess the contents before extinguishing the pockets of fire.

They had to be especially careful at one point as gas cylinders stored in one room were in danger of exploding.

Other rooms' contents included carpets, mattresses and building machinery.

Fire investigators were due at the scene today to try and discover the cause of the blaze.

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said the owner of the mill had been told about the blaze.