A LARGE fire at a farm near Darlington has been fully extinguished after ten days.
Firefighters left the scene of the blaze in the Whiley Hill area on Tuesday, handing the site back to its owners.
The Environment Agency is continuing its investigations into any waste offences committed at the site.
More than 1,000 tonnes of waste was alight at the height of the fire, which broke out more than a week ago.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said: “Working alongside The Environment Agency, Darlington Borough Council, Durham Constabulary and UK Health Security Agency our firefighters have been working tirelessly over the past ten days to separate the waste and extinguish the fire as quickly as possible while minimising the risk to the local community and the environment.
“The Environment Agency is continuing its investigations into any waste offences committed at the site.
“At this time, the cause of the fire is unknown.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “The Environment Agency has worked alongside partner agencies in fighting the fire and is continuing its investigations into any waste offences committed at the site.”
The fire service had been using plant machinery to try and separate the compacted waste to extinguish the fire.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here