Smoke from a fire at a former horticultural site in Wisbech last night could be seen up to 10 miles away.

Wisbech Standard: Fire crews tackled a blaze at the olld Delamore site in Sutton Road, Wisbech, last night.. Picture; WISBECH STANDARD READERFire crews tackled a blaze at the olld Delamore site in Sutton Road, Wisbech, last night.. Picture; WISBECH STANDARD READER (Image: Archant)

Residents from nearby houses poured into the streets to watch as fire fighters tackled the blaze at the former Delamore site in Sutton Road.

On social media many criticised car drivers who stopped to either film or take photos of the fire fighters tackling the blaze.

One nearby resident thought old tyres were ablaze and posted to Facebook "I don't know for definite but they normally burn them there. There was a large stack of tyres where the fire brigade was".

A woman said she had seen a load of straw bales on the land when she walked her dogs the day before.

Wisbech Standard: Fire crews tackled a blaze at the olld Delamore site in Sutton Road, Wisbech, last night.. Picture; WISBECH STANDARD READERFire crews tackled a blaze at the olld Delamore site in Sutton Road, Wisbech, last night.. Picture; WISBECH STANDARD READER (Image: Archant)

"I can see the smoke and I'm all the way in Walpole Highway," said another.

One woman who witnessed the blaze and lives nearby said: "We are ok; stood out front. Three fire engines got it under control now; lots of tyres and God knows what else is in shed."

Another said she had been alerted early to the fire and called the fire services "as the fire was behind us; I didn't even now anything about it although my house stinks. No amount of air freshener is working."

Fire chiefs spent several hours at the scene to ensure the blaze was fully extinguished. The cause of the fire has not yet been released.

Ten days earlier fire crews dealt with a massive barn fire at Wisbech St Mary/

The old Delamore site is earmarked for up to 200 homes after winning planning permission earlier this year.

Residents had fought to stop the housing estate, being concerned, among other issues, about safety, traffic, access, over development, devaluing property, noise, wildlife, flooding and drainage.

But Fenland District Council Planning Committee approved the 221 homes on the 19-acre site east of 88 Sutton Road for the former Delamore horticultural base.