A COMPANY which once made Blue Peter badges has been forced to close after a huge chemical fire roared through its premises in Godmanchester. More than 50 firefighters were called to the blaze at the industrial site in Roman Way on Monday. It is believed

A COMPANY which once made Blue Peter badges has been forced to close after a huge chemical fire roared through its premises in Godmanchester.

More than 50 firefighters were called to the blaze at the industrial site in Roman Way on Monday. It is believed the fire, which took more than two hours to put out, started in a single storey industrial unit owned by Jamy Ltd, which produces acrylic awards and promotional products.

As well as a specialist hazardous material unit from St Neots, eight fire engines including pumps from St Ives, Huntingdon and Ramsey and the turntable ladder from Cambridge were used.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident after

they received a call at 6.20pm from a member of staff at the site.

A fire service spokes-woman said: "Black smoke was seen coming from the unit and at one point we were close to evacuating nearby residents but firefighters managed to contain it. As there were certain chemicals involved, water couldn't be used. Instead crews used a special foam, to suffocate the chemicals."

Although the unit owned by Jamy Ltd was about 60 per cent destroyed, the fire was prevented from spreading to nearby units. The gas that leaked from the unit during the fire was not toxic but a fire investigation has now been launched to determine the cause of the blaze.

Peter Burton, managing director of Jamy Ltd said: "This was a fairly major incident and thanks to the prompt response of the person in the building at the time, the fire service was called and arrived quickly at the scene."

Mr Burton said it could be two months or longer before the company re-opened. "At the moment we do not know. I am talking to you holding the phone away from my ear because it is covered in soot."

For 25 years, Jamy Ltd have been involved with various aspects of the promotional industry in Europe, specialising in badges and awards for the likes of Audi, Shell and Lacoste.

INFORMATION: Anyone with information is asked to contact Cambridgeshire Police on 0845 45645654. People wanting to find out more about the work of Jamy should visit www.jamy.co.uk