A digger fire at a composting factory spread to peat leading to a firefighting operation spanning around three hours in total.

Fire crews were called to Westland Horticulture, formerly William Sinclair, off Bridges Road, Ellesmere Port , about 3.50pm today (Tuesday, April 19).

They found a ‘well alight’ digger involved in a fire which had spread to a pile of peat.

The Westland Horticulture site at Ellesmere Port as pictured in 2014

Hose reel jets and foam were used to damp down the surrounding area and extinguish the blaze.

Two fire engines from Ellesmere Port, one from Chester and one from Frodsham attended. Water was used from the fire engine tanks and drawn from a hydrant.

The blaze temporarily prevented the company from moving vehicles in or out.

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service says the digger was completely destroyed by fire. The cause is unknown. There were no injuries.

A digger fire spread to peat at the Westland Horticulture business in Ellesmere Port.

The £30m factory where the blaze occurred opened in 2014 under the William Sinclair name. Westland acquired the business last summer and immediately took them out of administration.

Based on a 50-acre site, the Ellesmere Port plant employs revolutionary technologies to supply brands of growing composts across the country.

The firm invested seven years and more than £5m into researching and developing its peat substitute made from composted wood.

This woody material is treated to produce a new growing compost which looks, feels and smells like peat and, it is claimed, extensive trials found it outperformed 100% peat mixes.

The Westland Horticulture factory in Ellesmere Port