FIRE crews have been battling a large blaze involving industrial units and gas cylinders.

Sussex Control Centre received several 999 calls at 8.58pm last night, reporting that trees and woodland were alight at Titnore Lane in Worthing.

Crews were faced with a “well-developed” blaze at the site, which also spread to nearby hedges.

Firefighters stood back at a safe distance, due to the size of the flames, to extinguish the fire using compressed air foam systems, jets and hose reels.

They battled the blaze through the night and spent hours there today to investigate.

Station manager Roy Barraclough, who was incident commander on scene, said: “This has been a challenging incident with a variety of factors making the operation somewhat complex.

“Our crews have been working tirelessly throughout the night, ensuring that the area is contained and that damage is kept to a minimum.

“Titnore Lane is an extremely busy main road and we would like to say a huge thank you to the general public for co-operating with us in a time of significant disruption.”

Crews from Worthing, Lancing, East Preston and Littlehampton were sent to tackle the blaze, alongside specialist appliances.

The road was closed for the whole day while an investigation into the cause of the fire is carried out.

No injuries were reported at the scene.

A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the investigation has now been left with police, who are still on scene.

All fire crews left the scene at around 4pm.