FIREFIGHTERS had to be called after a large pile of rubbish was on fire at a recycling centre shortly before midnight.

Crews were called at around 11.55pm last night (Wednesday) to Widnes Skip and Reclaim on Ditton Road West.

On arrival, firefighters discovered that the fire involved a large pile of refuse near to buildings.

Cheshire Fire Service say the pile was approximately 10-metres by 20-metres by 30-metres.

Firefighters used a hose reel jet and a main jet to fight the fire and on-site personnel used a digger to drag out the pile of rubbish.

The waste was removed and spread out and once the fire was extinguished crews damped down the area and used a thermal imaging camera to check for hotspots and make sure that the site was safe.

Firefighters were at the scene for around an hour and 45 minutes in total.