Two fire crews remained in attendance at Shanley’s scrapyard in Shails Lane, Trowbridge, today following the major fire yesterday.

The fire broke out at 9.39am yesterday and involved about 750 tonnes of scrap metal. At its peak about 40 firefighters tackled the blaze.

The fire, the second within a year at the Trowbridge site, reduced substantially by yesterday evening, but the smoke could be seen from miles around in west Wiltshire.

And today, as investigations continued into the cause of the blaze, a crew from Chippenham Fire Station and a crew from Melksham Fire Station are at the scrapyard working with the company’s staff to break up the piles of waste material to help it burn out under control.

A Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said they expect to be at the scene for the rest of today.

Wiltshire Police have lifted the cordon and reopened roads around the site although Shails Lane remains closed while the fire service continue their work at the scrapyard.

The site could see an increase in smoke today but Wiltshire Council say it only carries a low risk to local people.

Despite this, all smoke is an irritant and people are advised to take sensible precautions.

There is no need to restrict daily movements but, if residents see or smell smoke, they are advised to close doors and windows as a precaution.

This will be especially relevant for people with a pre-existing respiratory condition.

The work is being co-ordinated by the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) which prepares for, responds to and helps with recovery from local major incidents and emergencies.