Bermondsey fire: 100 firefighters battle 50 tonnes of burning waste

The structure of the facility has been severely damaged

Speaking from the scene, Station Commander Duncan Rees said: "Crews worked hard in difficult conditions to bring the fire under control. One of the Brigade’s 32m ladders and a 64m ladder were used as a water towers to tackle the flames from above

"Whilst the fire is under control, crews will remain on scene into the morning and afternoon as they work to extinguish the remaining pockets of fire."

How the Bermondsey fire unfolded

London Fire Brigade was called to the site, on the Bermondsey–Deptford border, shortly before 20:00 BST and urged residents to keep their doors and windows closed as thick black smoke rose over the skyline.

Crews from East Greenwich, Old Kent Road, Deptford and surrounding stations used a 32-metre and a 64-metre ladder to fight the flames from above.

The brigade said the cause was not yet known and warned of a "protracted incident", with crews working overnight.

It is the second fire at the same facility in months, after a June blaze destroyed a van and a car and left one man treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service.

National Rail warned that trains between New Cross and London Bridge could be cancelled, revised or severely delayed by up to 100 minutes, before confirming at 02:35 BST that the disruption had ended.

One local resident said he spotted the smoke while cycling home from the shops:

"We cycled back to mine and realised it was just across the road… it's pretty mental."

The cause is still to be established, adding to a summer of major incidents in and around London.