Police are investigating a chemical fire that closed off a major A-road in Aston Clinton as an arson attack.

The fire started at the Fairport Containers recycling centre, College Road North on Monday morning, with 999 calls reporting it at 8.40am.

A canister of acetylene is believed to have caught light - causing a larger blaze within the site.

The fire led to the closure of the A41 Aston Clinton Bypass for a number of hours to protect the public while crews from Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue made the scene safe.

The road was finally reopened just before midnight last night.

Police are investigating the fire as a possible arson attack and are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen someone acting "suspiciously" on Sunday or Monday.

Detective Inspector Simon Mountain, based at Aylesbury police station, said: “We are carrying out an investigation following this incident.

“We are asking the public to please get in touch if they have any information that may assist us in our enquiries.

“We are particularly keen to see if anyone saw someone acting suspiciously between the times of 2pm on Sunday (October 3) and 8.30am on Monday (October 4) in the College Road North area where the site is.

“If you have information please call 101 or go online quoting reference 43210446596, or if you wish to report 100 per cent anonymously you can do so by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“We would like to thank the public for their patience following this incident as we are aware it did cause disruption to the local area but was necessary to ensure everyone’s safety.”