Charred wreckage was all that remained today of a derelict factory in Clacton.

Fire swept through the former Valos staples factory in Crossfield Road on Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters on four fire engines tackled the blaze which started at about 4pm.

Plumes of smoke billowed across the town as firefighters battled to contain the blaze and stop it from spreading to neighbouring buildings.

It took about three hours to put the fire out and firemen were still on site until about 7.30am today (Friday) cooling the burning building.

Windows at the factory were blown out and two roofs were totally destroyed during the fire.

Police are treating the fire as a suspected arson attack. A teenager was being quizzed by police about the incident today (Friday).

What a mess - two firemen damp down.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.