West Yorkshire Fire Service (WYFS) received a call shortly after midnight to attend Wastecare's recycling and processing plant in Wakefield Road.

The fire brigade was supported by crews from South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, as well as West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Health Protection Agency, West Yorkshire Water and Leeds City Council.

A spokesperson for the fire service hailed the handling of the fire, which at its height included 150 firefighters and 30 appliances, as a model for cross agency work.

Chief fire officer Simon Pilling said: "We were faced with a rapidly escalating fire that was contained very successfully. I would like to thank all the agencies for giving us such excellent support."

Firefighters used both water and foam cannons to quell the fire, which was under control by around 7am.

Neighbouring houses and residents at a nearby Holiday Inn were evacuated, while three firefighters were admitted to hospital for a precautionary check-up.

Roads around the area were closed and local residents further afield were warned to stay in their houses, however a spokesman for WYFS said that some roads had reopened earlier than expected.

A spokeswoman for Wastecare said a full statement would be available soon, but added that it was already "business as usual" on site.

The cause of the fire is as not yet known, but an investigation is due to begin once the dampening down of the site has finished.