FOUR teenage girls were quizzed by police after a suspected arson attack gutted vehicles and caused £350,000 of damage to a Derbyshire business.

A lorry and four trailers – which were only a few months old – were destroyed by a massive blaze at John Bowler Eggs, on Hilton Business Park.

The fire, on Sunday afternoon, destroyed 8,500 eggs and the trailers, which were filled with wooden pallets.

Two girls were arrested on suspicion of arson at the scene and a third was arrested at her home later on Sunday afternoon.

A Derbyshire police spokeswoman said one of the girls remained in custody yesterday while two others were released on bail.

A fourth girl, who was arrested yesterday morning, was still being quizzed last night.

Two of the girls are thought to be aged 13 while another was said to be 19. The age of the remaining girl has not been released.

Stuart Walker, transport manager at John Bowler Eggs, said the cost of the blaze was estimated at around £350,000.

He said: "We had not got a contingency plan in place to deal with the loss of so many vehicles at one time.

"But we have quickly managed to rent some vehicles to ensure that our operations continue as normal.

"When you consider that we deliver 1.8 million eggs a day, the amount of eggs we lost in the blaze isn't so much of an issue.

"But it will probably take us about three months to permanently replace the vehicles we have lost."

Firefighters from Ascot Drive, Kingsway, Swadlincote, Duffield, Ripley and two engines from Staffordshire spent several hours at the site.

Thick plumes of smoke could be seen as far away as the A50 and A38.

Witnesses who watched the drama unfold heard explosions as some of the tyres burst in the heat.

The flames tore through one lorry cab, four trailers containing the pallets and egg boxes and a nearby storage platform, all belonging to the firm.

One of the trailers contained more than 8,500 eggs, which had been collected from local producers and were due to be sent to a packing plant in Wiltshire this week.

Some of the other trailers contained packaging.

Truck rental companies have now stepped in to help the firm, which is based in Willowpit Lane, Hilton, to complete its deliveries.

A joint investigation into the blaze was started by Derbyshire police and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue and was continuing yesterday.

Witnesses or anyone with information relating to the blaze should contact police on 0345 123 3333.