Conveyor belts across three floors were damaged in a 'large fire' at the Western Riverside Waste Authority recycling centre in Smugglers Way.

Your Local Guardian:

Four fire crews were called to the blaze just after 9pm yesterday, London Fire Brigade said.

The belts were totally consumed by the flames, the brigade said.

A total of 41 people had left the building before the arrival of the LFB.

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A huge plume of thick black smoke could be seen for some distance.

The LFB said the sprinkler system had helped control the fir until the engines arrived. 

A Brigade spokesman said: "This incident highlights the clear benefits of sprinklers to businesses and we would urge all companies and business owners to install them.

"In this case the sprinklers successfully helped control the spread of the fire.

"As well as limiting fire damage and being potentially life saving devices, sprinklers and other fire suppression systems help with business continuity by minimising disruption and allowing businesses to get back to normal as soon as possible."

Crews from Wandsworth, Battersea, Tooting and Fulham were called to the scene. The Brigade was called at 9.06pm and the fire was under control at 10.46pm.