Nigel Barber, joint owner of the 98-year-old business with brother Paul, told the Liverpool Echo the facility was "completely finished" following the blaze.

Fire crews took four hours to control the flames after the fire broke out after 4am yesterday (30 July).

S Barber and Co was among the worst hit of the businesses that occupy the Lipton Close site, although the fire is not currently being treated as suspicious.

"I’m in shock. I still haven’t come to terms with it. It’s just a black hole. Bits of the roof are hanging down. Everything’s full of water," Barber told the publication.

The family-run firm moved into the site four months ago in order to accommodate a new Heidelberg press that Barber said was "already starting to rust up" following the blaze.

"We were happy. everything was going along well. One minute everything’s all right and the next minute, that’s it," he told the Liverpool paper.

It is now expected that demolition crews will be required to pull down at least two of the units on the business site.