FIRE crews are still keeping a close eye on a chemical plant which erupted into flames last week.

Fire-fighters from Morecambe have attended Lancaster Synthesis, on the White Lund industrial estate, on a daily basis because areas of the site are still smouldering.

The cause of the inferno is being investigated but fire chiefs say it could take several weeks to determine the cause.

"The incident is still open as material is still burning, but that is normal for this kind of chemical fire," says Station Officer Tim Murrell of Morecambe fire station.

"We send one crew per day down to the site and that will probably carry on for another few days.

"The cause is being investigated but it is difficult because there is not much of the place left and also we have 14,000 different chemicals to look at and try and determine the one that did the damage," he adds.

At the height of the fire on Newgate last Wednesday, 20 appliances and 70 fire-fighters from across Lancashire were at the site.

The 17 workers in the warehouse when the fire took hold at 6.30am escaped unharmed.

But shops, offices and businesses in the White Lund area were closed for the day as police imposed a security cordon.