A FACTORY was destroyed in the early hours of Wednesday morning when fire ripped through the building.

Fire crews from throughout Greater Manchester tackled the fire, which started at 4am at the Malligram factory, which manufactures polystyrene, on Lodge Road, Radcliffe.

Motorists were being advised to avoid the Outwood Road area of Radcliffe as firefighters contained the blaze.

Five jets stopped the blaze spreading to two nearby buildings as the single-storey factory was destroyed.

Crews from Bury, Whitefield, Bolton, Bolton North, Farnworth, Eccles and Rochdale all helped to ensure the fire was contained.

Sub-officer Roy Grundy, of Bury Fire Station, said: "When we got there, the fire was going from one end to the other.

"We had jets on the two nearby buildings to ensure it didn't spread.

"We have no idea how it started as yet and fire investigators have not had the chance to get into the building yet to try and establish how it started."

Small fires were still burning this morning. Firefighters were expected to be damping down the site most of the day.

Police closed Outwood Road at its junction with Lodge Road and traffic was being diverted along Johnson Street.