Steven Barker, who worked at the Bonne Bouche food factory for more than 13 years and lives in Owton Manor Lane, Hartlepool, said: "It's a shame. There's no chance of it opening up again now. I'm shocked to see it.

"My mates phoned me and said that the old factory is on fire. You must be able to see that for miles. I live three miles away and you could see it from my house.

"I came down here for a look. I followed the smoke.

"It was a shame because a lot of us were hoping it would open up eventually."

Unemployed Anthony Smith, 21, from Spalding Road, Hartlepool, said: "I was shocked when I saw the smoke. It was 5.30pm when we got down there and when we did the flames were massive."

Michael Rowledge, 23, a baker from Windermere Road, Hartlepool, said: "I worked at Bonne Bouche for a couple of weeks about a year ago on the production line. We live completely on the other side of town and saw the smoke from over there. It's unbelievable."

His sister, Emma Rowledge, 19, who lives in Dalkeith Road, Hartlepool, added: "It's shocking because it's always been here. I've never seen this many emergency people. We can only hope nobody was in it."

A 75-year-old woman from Warren Court, who did not wish to be named said: "I just came round and saw the smoke. I could not believe it.

I've never seen anything like it. The smoke is terrible."

Alice-Ann Grigor, 19, who works at the Spar store, in Seaton Carew, and lives at Gatesgarth Close, said: "I came back to the flat and panicked that it was my home on fire. If the smoke was coming the other way our flat would have been swamped.

"We could feel the heat and hear the burning and the loud bangs of the roof caving in."

Alice, who lives with her boyfriend, added: "Actually it was all quite exciting and I am just relieved that it wasn't my home."

A worker for nearby SCA Packaging, who did not want to be named, said: "The fire's huge. I thought I could smell burning about 4.15pm. About 4pm I came into work, I heard the sirens going. We couldn't see in the office. I phoned the fire brigade."

Mr Naveem Mushtak, 26, from Mitchell Street, said: "I came down for a look. I saw the plumes of smoke. My neighbour told me that there was a fire so I came to see. It seems very big to me."