A town leader has called for the closure of a waste processing site after fire ripped through tonnes of paper and fuel pellets.

Residents complained of running eyes and sore throats after the blaze broke out early on Sunday at the Reprotech plant at Pebsham, near Bexhill.

Jeremy Birch, leader of Hastings Borough Council, said residents were fed up with having waste on their doorsteps and called for the plant's immediate closure.

He said: "It seems the market for the pellets is limited and they have been left with a large number of pellets on the site which would appear to me to be a potential hazard.

"More than this, Reprotech has been campaigning for several years for the right to full-blown waste incineration on the site, even though it is so close to residential properties.

"But the residents of Bexhill Road and Pebsham have had to put up with waste on their doorstep for two generations with the landfill site and more recently Reprotech."

He said the company had "done its bit" for waste disposal but should not be allowed to go ahead with incineration proposals.

Today firefighters remained at the scene damping down the 1,000 tonnes of smouldering fuel pellets.

Health experts advise people with asthma to keep windows and doors shut.

About 70 firefighters from across East Sussex battled the blaze at its height after it broke out at 4am on Sunday.

The building was destroyed by the fire, which started in the roof, but is not being treated as suspicious.

NHS Direct and doctors in Hastings and St Leonards have been informed. Anyone wanting advice can contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647.