Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott today honoured firefighters who had tackled the airplane blaze.

At the Hoppoles pub, Little Hallingbury, he met 14 members of Thaxted fire station who had worked through the night.

Mr Prescott asked them how the operation had gone. He also thanked them for their efforts.

A total of 300 firefighters and police officers were still at the scene today.

Firefighter Neil Bloss of Thaxted said: "We were among the first on the scene last night.

"It looked like your worst nightmare. When we got there, there was a lot of fire. Wreckage was spread over a very large area.

"When it started to rain, conditions became dreadful. It looks totally different in daylight: it certainly did not look as bad last night."

Mr Prescott went on to visit the crash scene before going on to Stansted Airport.

John Prescott congratulates some of the firefighters who dealt with the blaze

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