Three in hospital after explosion at Erith oil plant

Here's a summary of what we know about the incident so far, if you'd like to follow what happened minute by minute you can read back through our live coverage here.

At around 9am this morning, an eye witness working nearby described feeling an "explosion so huge our building shock," whilst another said she saw a "ball of fire" outside the ADM industrial site.

Around 40 firefighters, police and two air ambulances rushed to the scene at Church Manorway in south east London, and dramatic images started flooding in.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, but ADM confirmed that at approximately 9am an explosion occurred at the extraction area of its oilseed crushing plant located in Erith.

Three contractors who were working outside in an adjacent silo were injured in the blast, and the London Ambulance Service said all three men had been taken to hospital where we await an update.

All neighbour buildings were evacuated whilst LFB tackled the blaze, and whilst no elevated levels of chemical substances were found, firefighters are expected to remain at the scene for the most of the day.

London Ambulance Service say they had dispatched a number of ambulance crews and specialist response teams including a hazardous response unit and London Air Ambulance's trauma team.

Around 480 people were evacuated in total, and the fire was under control by around midday.

ADM have confirmed the location, and said the "safety and and health of our colleagues and the community where we operate is our priority."

The exact cause of the fire is under investigation, and Abena Oppong-Asare, the MP for Erith and Thamesmead, tweeted that she is aware of the incident and looking into it.

We await an update on the condition of the contractor workers taken to hospital.

"The fire brigade is currently working onsite, and the plant was evacuated and shut down."