STAFF and pets were evacuated while firefighters tackled a large blaze next door to a Basildon vets surgery, Essex Fire Service has confirmed.

Firefighters have now got the Paycocke Road blaze under control and will stay at the scene for the next "few hours" to make the site safe.

Gardiners Lane South and Paycocke Road were shut off by police while a large emergency service presence was on the scene.

This is after the huge fire broke out earlier this afternoon with clouds of thick, black smoke seen across the town.

At the height of the incident, eight fire crews, including an aerial ladder platform, were on scene, with firefighters extinguishing the blaze in sections.

Firefighters worked to prevent the fire spreading to neighbouring units, including a vet specialists.

Essex Fire Service has confirmed earlier on in the incident smoke started to spread near to the Southfields veterinary surgery next door so crews worked with staff to evacuate a number of animals, including dogs, cats and rabbits.

All animals were unharmed and transported to nearby vets.

Group manager Marc Diggory said: “We’ve had a lot of crews here due to the amount of smoke inside the unit and had to commit firefighters wearing breathing apparatus to tackle the fire in sections.

“We’ve got it under control and will stay at the scene for a few hours to make the area safe. 

“There’s no risk to the public and we’ve tried to keep road closures to a minimum. Thank you to everyone for your patience while we’ve been dealing with this incident.”