The acrid fumes from a warehouse fire that has burned for 10 days have left children and babies needing medical treatment.

Smoke has billowed across Margate since last Saturday when the building on the Westwood Industrial Estate went up in flames.

As firefighters continue to try and extinguish the final members of the blaze, the effects of the smoke have seen many people seek medical help.

Among them is asthmatic Joe Evans, who was taken to the QEQM Hospital in Margate on Sunday after his usual inhalers became ineffective.

He was given a nebuliser to ease wheezing and coughing and is still using inhalers at home.

His mother, Lynn Evans, says his symptoms have worsened because of the poor air quality. “The staff at the hospital told me they had seen lots of people come in because of the fire since Sunday,” she added.

Mum-of-two Louise Jones was told by her GP that her baby Sammy’s viral infection was worsened because of the smoke-filled air. “I have to take him to get his chest cleared, it’s awful,”

The eight-month-old has been coughing and having breathing difficulties.

Charm Elakil added on Facebook: “This is a public health issue that needs to be taken seriously.”

Fire crews say as the smoke has cooled it has settled closer to the ground, but is not expected to get any worse.

Public Health England says the smoke is similar to that from a bonfire and there are no reports of harmful toxins in the air.

Spokesman Mark Burrell added: “In the initial stages of this fire it was felt there was no need to monitor air quality

and for people to follow existing public health advice. All agencies and local authorities remain in regular contact to

monitor and review the situation.”

Demolition crews arrived on the site on Saturday in attempt to open up the warehouse and make the fire easier to tackle.

David Escudier, who has been leading the firefighting operation, explained why the blaze has proved so difficult to extinguish.

“Basically, the fires we havebeen dealing with are one tonne bales of domestic rubbish all tightly compacted and covered in plastic, so when

we put water on the outside it forms a protective crust so the inside is still burning,” he said.

“There are lots of recycling industries that take and separate waste; first we thought it was going to be just plastic but there is household waste, too,

but because of the sheer size of it we have had a problem putting it out completely.”

Mechanical diggers are spreading the waste out so crews can fully extinguish the flames. While this can create extra smoke, firefighters are working

hard to dampen the area down to reduce the risk. Mr Escudier, a group manager for the fire service, says other factors have slowed the operation down.

“It has taken so long as the structure is unsafe,”

“We are waiting for the roof to be removed so we can get inside.

“At the height of the fire we had 14 fire engines carrying four crew; we have now reduced that to three and they will be there during most daytimes

until the roof is demolished and we can get inside the deep pockets [within the bales].

Officers from Thanet District Council reviewed the site last May and the EA began an investigation, which is still ongoing. The building was previously

occupied by Cummins Power Generation, which vacated the site in 2014.

A representative of the freeholder Conservation Property Holdings - a company registered in the British Virgin Islands - has been in contact with the authorities

and has visited the building.

They say the operator who leased it was storing waste without their knowledge.

Thanet District Council records Devon-based D&W Land as the registered business rates holder for the address.

The EA would not confirm who the site operator is.