Fire lit the night sky when a huge blaze broke out in an industrial unit near the centre of Lewes.

The fire brigade received a string of calls from residents as smoke and flames poured from the building in Phoenix Place.

Forty firefighters tackled the blaze, which broke out just before midnight on Wednesday.

The premises of Canto Containers, a skip hire firm, were reduced to rubble but no one was hurt and the fire did not spread to neighbouring buildings.

The fire brigade remained at the scene yesterday making the building safe.

Police sealed off the area as an investigation into the cause got underway.

The incident comes less than two months after a suspicious blaze destroyed another unit in Phoenix Place. A local youth was arrested in connection with that incident.