POTENTIALLY deadly asbestos fibres were deposited on homes following a major blaze at a famous gin factory, it emerged last night.

Specialist contractors have now been brought in to clear debris which contains the dangerous substance deposited by smoke around the site of the Warrington distillery G&J Greenalls.

The fire broke out on Saturday and an exclusion zone was set up around the site on Loushers Lane, around a mile from Warrington town centre, with residents moved out of their homes.

Now the council has revealed that smoke from the fire has resulted in asbestos being deposited on homes and gardens around the plant.

Bob Williams, Warrington Council's head of communications, issued a warning to residents to avoid disturbing the dust which can be dangerous if inhaled.

He said: "The deposits from the smoke have fallen on a clearly defined area, stretching from the distillery across to Chester Road. Analysis of these deposits by specialist consultants today has found the presence of asbestos in some test samples."

He said: "Asbestos is not normally harmful unless inhaled or ingested. Care should therefore be taken when handling any debris from the fire.

"As a result, arrangements have now been made for specialist contractors to begin a systematic clean-up operation of the area, which is expected to start this afternoon."

He said: "Should any residents find any larger pieces of debris these should be reported to the council by Thursday, October 20.

"Should any resident wish to remove this debris themselves, they should wear disposable gloves, dampen the material to avoid dust and then dispose of it in a plastic bag and put it in their domestic refuse bin. It's worth noting that the overnight rain in the area will have helped the situation by reducing the possibility of dust."

Last night a spokeswoman for Cheshire Fire Service said the factory had suffered four separate fires, causing extensive damage.

She said: "There are major fires in the bottle distillery part of the plant, where ethanol is stored, which the fire fighters are trying to bring under control.

"We have four pumps there and a hydraulic platform, and were cooling down the ethanol tanks this morning and then transporting it away on road tankers."

Water from the Manchester Ship Canal had been used, and at its height on Saturday evening 25 fire engines and 110 firefighters were at the factory.

The fire service was first alerted at around 4.30pm on Saturday when smoke was seen coming from the factory. Crews have been there since.

A 500-metre exclusion zone had been set up around the area as a safety precaution.

Hotel chain De Vere Group, which owns the gin and vodka-producing plant, said the fire had caused "severe damage", but that essential parts of the distillery remained intact.

Yesterday spokeswoman Margaret Henriksson said: "The site is still in the hands of the fire brigade and the police. Some of the site is still smouldering and they're making it safe.Some of our operations team have been on site and the stillhouse where the gin and vodka is made, and the watercoolers, appear at the moment, to be unscathed.

"It's looking very positive. We've been speaking to third-party bottling companies and once that business relationship is in place we could be back in business.

"That could be within two or three days."

A helpline has been set up by Warrington Council for concerned residents: 01925 458034.

sophiefreeman@dailypost.co.uk