Severnside blaze

Fire crews from across Berkshire and Buckinghamshire were called to tackle a huge blaze at the Severnside recycling depot in Taplow this afternoon.

At the fire's height, flames from the burning bundles of paper and cardboard were thought to reach 12 metres into the air.

Eight fire crews from the two counties tackled the blaze in Mill Lane, which started just after 2.30pm.

A JCB was used to separate the compacted bundles of flammable material to create a firebreak and crews are expected to work into the night spraying the site with water.

There was an estimated 200 tonnes of paper burning in the fire.

Speaking at the scene, firefighter Steve Bailey said: "It was huge - it was a blazing inferno.

"As we drove into Mill Lane there was a great deal of smoke everywhere which could have been quite dangerous.

"We were lucky the direction of the wind was blowing towards the river otherwise we could have had difficulty tacking the fire."