An explosion has led to a 'raging fire' at a bed factory on an industrial estate in Westbury.

About 35 firefighters are tackling the huge blaze at the Sleepcraft factory on the Brook Lane Industrial Estate, which broke out at about 3pm. The fire is in an industrial unit used to store oak furniture.

Three employees, two men and a woman, were in the premises at the time of the explosion and evacuated before the fire took hold. No-one is thought to have been injured.

Eyewitness Mike Greatwood, who owns Rapid Recovery Ltd, which is opposite the factory, said he heard the explosion.

"There was a terrific bang and stuff was flying into the air.

"All the doors are blown off and there is a raging fire inside.

"It's very frightening."

Mr Greatwood said he had been helping to move cars parked outside the factory, including a Mercedes thought to belong to the factory boss.

Fire crews from across Wiltshire have been drafted in.

At the moment there are five fire engines at the scene - one from Westbury, two from Warminster and two from Trowbridge.

The incident control unit from Devizes has been called in, as have water carriers from Wootton Bassett and Pewsey and the aerial appliance from Salisbury.

Staff at Westbury Motor Auctions, which is nearby, also heard the explosion, which one likened to guns being fired on Salisbury Plain.

She said: "I was sat in my office and thought someone had fallen upstairs.

"We have cars parked behind the building so we have moved all of them out of the way. The yard was covered in bed foam.

"One of our guys was out in the yard and he almost hit the floor.

"It is a full blown fire. The firefighters can't seem to put it out and they are stopping it going to the next building.

"There was a bit of an eerie silence after the explosion. The whole estate rang for ambulances.

We can't get out of the estate at the moment so we are here for the duration."

Employees at the motor auction rooms helped direct firefighters to the nearest hydrants when they arrived.

Police are expected to issue advice to residents living nearby to keep their windows and doors shut because of the smoke plume generated by the fire.

Incident commander Dave Dunford, of Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said crews would be there well into the evening trying to contain the blaze and stop it spreading to the nearby Dreamworks factory.

He said a fire investigation officer is talking to Sleepcraft's owner to try and establish what caused the explosion.

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