Boys reported after factory blast

The flames were seen from 20 miles away

Three boys have been reported to the Children's Panel after an explosion and major fire at a chemical plant in Ayrshire, police have said.

Flames were spotted at the Nobel Enterprises factory in Stevenston at about 2000 BST on Saturday.

The fire involved highly-flammable nitrocellulose, which is used in inks and coatings.

The main blaze was extinguished overnight but fire crews had to tackle small pockets of fire in the debris.

Strathclyde Police said three boys, two aged 14 and one aged 10, were the subject of a report to the Children's Panel in connection with the incident.

A full report will be sent to the procurator fiscal.

What we're doing is surveying the site and inspecting the drums that are still there Paul Connelly Strathclyde Fire and Rescue

The Children's Panel deals with children and young people under 16, who are alleged to have committed offences or who are in need of care and protection.

A 1km cordon was put up around the Nobel Enterprises plant. There were no reports of injuries.

Paul Connelly, from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, was in charge of the firefighting operation at the former ICI factory.

At its height there were 20 fire appliances and 75 firefighters tackling the blaze, along with support crews and specialist teams.

These included a mobile laboratory for analysing chemicals.

Speaking from the scene, Mr Connelly told BBC Scotland's Sunday Live programme his crews were faced with a very dramatic situation with flames leaping 200ft in the air.

In pictures: Factory blast Site with 'explosive' history

He said: "What we're doing is surveying the site and inspecting the drums that are still there and extinguishing any small pockets of fire that are still remaining in some of the debris.

"This substance was in an open bunded area so there has been very little property damage and anything that we have had we've been able to deal with very early on in the evening."

The service received dozens of calls about the blast, some from as far away as 20 miles.

James Smith, 54, who lives about half-a-mile from the blaze, described how he heard explosions and saw huge flames as the factory went up at about 2030 BST.

He said: "It was enormous. The flames were a couple of hundred feet high. It was like a white flame."

It was terrible. I thought the sun had come out Anne Graham Local resident

Mary Ainsworth, 56, said worried relatives called to ask her if she was safe and to say they were worried about her.

"My daughter phoned to tell me not to worry when I saw the sky and came home to find the roads cordoned off by the police," she added

Anne Graham, also 56, said: "It was terrible. I thought the sun had come out, then my husband phoned and said 'Do you see?'

"I couldn't believe it. I stood on a nearby hill and could feel the heat on my face."

Officers from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency have visited the site and said no significant air or water pollution problems had been identified and no long-term environmental damage was anticipated.

Strathclyde Police said about 1,500 to 1,700 tons of the nitrocellulose had been involved in the incident.