AN explosion at a recycling plant rocked homes and businesses in the south of Ilkeston yesterday.

Residents told how their windows rattled and doors banged in the incident at Ward Recycling, in Griffon Road, at 1.30pm.

A team of 25 firefighters spent more than an hour extinguishing one of two fires caused by the explosion.

The second blaze was dealt with by trained employees at the metal recycling plant.

Derbyshire Fire Service said the explosion was thought to have been caused by a drum of flammable substance which had gone into a metal crusher by accident.

David Saunderson, of Quarry Hill Road, close to the site, said he often heard bangs coming from Ward Recycling but that this was louder than usual.

Mr Saunderson, 74, said: "It rattled the house. It shook the window; you felt a vibration and a door banged."

Another Quarry Hill Road resident, Margaret Rogers, said she heard the bang over traffic noise on the busy street.

She said: "I came out into the road. I thought there had been a car accident."

Alex Ormston, workshop manager at Sports Tech, opposite Ward Recycling, said the blast had shaken the garage's windows.

He said: "After the explosion I saw a big plume of smoke coming from the site but no flames.

"It's regular for there to be bangs from the site but this was one of the louder ones."

Rob Mears, Ilkeston Fire Station watch manager, said he believed the explosion was caused by a drum of "as yet unidentified" flammable substance which entered a metal crusher by accident.

He said the material inside the crusher was flushed out on to a conveyor belt which led to a "tumbler" for sorting metal.

When firefighters arrived Mr Mears said Ward staff were already coping well with the belt fire, leaving his team to work on the tumbler.

He said the drum was believed to have been brought in by "an external supplier" and had got through a usually "strict and stringent" sorting process.

Mr Mears said: "No one was hurt. It's very unlikely anyone would have been.

"Ward Recycling take their precautionary measures very seriously."

He said that firefighters had trained on the site to ensure they knew how to handle incidents such as yesterday's explosion.

Mr Mears said he had asked for four engines and an aerial platform in case the blaze escalated.

Wendy Smith, of Ward Recycling, said the company would not know the cause of the fire until an investigation into the incident was complete. She said no-one was near the crusher at the time of the explosion.