Firefighters tackled a major fire at the site of North London paint firm Rustins last night.

A total of 15 fire engines and nearly 100 firefighters and officers from Hendon and surrounding fire stations attended the blaze at the large paint factory on Waterloo Road in Staples Corner.

According to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), its control centre received 45 emergency 999 calls about the “very visible fire that could be seen for miles around”.

An LFB London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "This is a significant fire at a paint factory off the North Circular which can be seen across London. The fire completely destroyed the single storey building. Factory workers left before the Brigade arrived. There were no reports of any injuries. Firefighters will be at the scene throughout the night damping down pockets of fire."

The Brigade was called at 9.20pm and the fire was under control three hours later. 

Winesses took to social media to discuss the blaze and the LFB warned people to avoid the area and for locals to stay inside and keep windows shut. 

Firefighters are still on the scene investigating the cause of the fire but it is still too early to assess the full extent of the damage.

In March last year it was announced that Rustins had acquired wood filler and woodcare products manufacturer Clam-Brummer, taking on the production of its ranges at the North London site.