FIREFIGHTERS last night advised Sonae bosses to set a major demolition operation in motion at the factory where a fire has raged for almost a week.

Fire service experts told management that efforts to extinguish the blaze would be sped up by bulldozing the building.

The storage units which contained 150,000 tonnes of woodchip caught fire on June 9 and are still blazing.

Meanwhile, 18 of Knowsley’s Labour councillors have signed a letter calling for the end of health and safety failures at the Kirkby site.

The scathing attack on the factory appears alongside a statement from constituency MP George Howarth, an outspoken critic of Sonae, which will be printed in 18,000 copies of a leaflet and delivered though doors in all six Kirkby wards.

In their letter, the councillors acknowledge recent improvements in health and safety at the plant, but will stress: “Given the close proximity of Sonae to residential areas and businesses and the ongoing issues mentioned above, we are acutely aware that many of our town’s residents and businesses have now lost patience with Sonae and want to see the plant closed down.”

Calling for a meeting of the council, Merseyside fire service and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) the councillors state: “However, in view of this most recent serious incident, we are concerned that it may not be possible to reduce the risks associated with the site to an acceptable level.