NEIGHBOURS , boatowners and marina workers rallied round to move boats and factory equipment to prevent it being engulfed by a major blaze in which flames soared to 60 feet high..

As 75 firefighters battled away at the Blackwater Marina in Maylandsea neighbour Dave Rich told how a group of people helped a worker with a tractor move boats and a diesel tank away from the flames .

Dave, 59, a retired industrial roofer of nearby Imperial Avenue, said: "The flames were massive – something like 50 or 60 feet high.

" There was a whole group of people helping ; some were those who worked there , there were people from the boats." .

But the damage to the marina and factory making disco and audio equipment was extensive .

The alert went up just before 8.30am on Wednesday May 27. By 11am the main structure of one building collapsed.

Assistant Divisional Officer, Neil Fenwick, said: five or six boats had been destroyed.

"Crews have worked very hard and faced severe water shortages because of the remote location and the fact that the tide was out.

"The building was being used for carpentry work and it seems that a spark got into the pile of sawdust and that is how the fire started. We will obviously be carrying out a full investigation to establish the exact cause."

At one stage hundreds of families were warned to close windows, stay indoors and not drive with car windows and vents open, as a cloud of asbestos soared into the skies from an inferno in Mayland.

The asbestos was flaking off in the intense heat of a fire and was an immediate threat to people in Steeple, Bradwell and Tillingham although the worst of the toxic smoke was being blown over the river estuary towards Mersea.

The Essex police helicopter reported flames and smoke visible for six miles around.

Roads into the area were closed and spectators ushered away for their own safety.

Six fire crews remained at the scene during the afternoon tackling deep seated pockets of fire. Firefighters were still at the scene on Thursday.