Investigations are under way today (Thursday) to try to discover the cause of a major fire at a farm on the outskirts of Chester.

Billowing clouds of smoke could be seen for miles around yesterday afternoon after firefighters were called to Tile Farm in Wicker Lane , Guilden Sutton, just after 2pm.

Twelve appliances were sent to the scene and Cheshire police closed Wicker Lane while the blaze was being tackled.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service sent fire engines from Chester, Tarporley, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn and Frodsham.

The hazardous materials unit and a supporting fire engine came from Warrington while the high volume pump and a supporting fire engine were sent from Congleton. The high volume pump ended up using water from the nearby River Gowy.

When they arrived, crews were confronted with a fire involving a diesel tanker and two buildings including a barn containing animal feed and about 150 tonnes of straw and hay.

Just after 4.30pm, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service reduced the number of fire engines  to seven.

A statement last night said: "Crews are continuing to work with people from the site to spread and damp down the contents of the barn.  put water on the contents of the barn. Good progress is being made with the incident. The amount of smoke in the area is now much less.

"The cause of the fire has not yet been established."

Tile Farm is run by the Arden family who have been farming since the late 1950s, starting out on a smallholding at Church Farm in Christleton with a small dairy herd and poultry. 

They moved to Tile Farm in Guilden Sutton in 1996, concentrating on growing potatoes, fodder beet, wheat, barley, field beans, oil seed rape and grass.