Blaze hits factory

A BLAZE caused damage estimated at 100,000 and halted production at a Newhaven factory employing 180 people.

Staff at Cash Bases, in The Drove, were told not to come into work this week following the fire on Sunday.

Plumes of smoke billowed from the factory and the smell of burning plastic filled the air after the fire took hold at the end of a factory shift at 7pm.

Three fire engines and 17 firefighters from Newhaven and Roedean, wearing breathing apparatus, battled the blaze with hoses.

Cash Bases employee Paul Cartwright witnessed the fire. He told the Express: 'One of the supervisors noticed smoke coming from a corner of the paint shop, called the fire brigade and in moments the area was an inferno.'

Cardboard boxes and pallettes fuelled the fire, causing extensive smoke damage throughout the factory floor and offices.

A Fire Brigade spokeswoman said firefighters prompt action prevented the fire spreading and causing even more damage.

Serious

She said: 'Smoke was issuing from the roof and there were a lot of flames in the main part of the factory. It was quite serious, they did very well to put it out so quickly and stop it spreading.'

Fire crews were still damping down the factory at 11.30pm. Its cause is not being treated as suspicious. No-one was injured.

Cash Bases is the world's largest manufacturer of drawers for cash registers. It has twice won the Queen's Award for Export and has been voted Sussex Company of the Year. It employs people from all the Seahaven towns.

Its managing director Hugh Burnett was awarded an OBE last year for services to the Newhaven community.

He said the fire was a serious blow and it was unlikely the factory would be completely up-and-running for at least two weeks. Staff will continue to be paid until they return.

This week the company was focusing on a strategy to ensure it could meet deliveries for the coming months.

But Mr Burnett admitted they would be 'heavily affected'. During the last Bank Holiday Cash Bases staff were asked to take an extended holiday due to a drop in orders.

Mr Burnett said: 'We had a significant gap in requirements over the Bank Holiday so we closed the plant for four days.'

Ironically, orders for June and July had picked up only for production to be halted by the fire.

Mr Burnett said: 'We will be reopening in stages. We will give staff a call as soon as we want them back.'