Witnesses have compared the force of the explosion at the Bosley wood mill to a plane crashing on the village.

Horrified residents living near the site said the ground shook beneath their feet when the blast struck at around at 9.10am on Friday

The explosion destroyed the four-storey mill, leaving what fire crews called a ‘scene of devastation’ and ‘pile of twisted metal’.

Tim Doggett, who lives on Lakeside in the village, said: “I was at home when it happened. I thought a plane had crashed.

“It was a huge explosion, like something from a horror movie. My windows shook and I rushed outside. I saw a huge yellow orange dust cloud with black pieces.

“It feels a lot worse as it’s our friends affected. Everyone in Bosley knows someone at the mill. It was horrific.”

Resident Bill Douse said he thought a plane had crashed when he heard the explosion. Mr Douse, 72, who is tower captain of the St Mary’s Church bell ringers, said: “Everybody is devastated. I heard a terrific explosion. I came over to the pub and watched the flames coming up into the air. Bosley Cloud was shrouded in smoke for a couple of hours.”

A man who was near the Harrington Arms at the time of the explosion and asked not to be named, described a ‘huge fireball’ in the sky.

Jack Swindells, who used to work at the mill, said: “I heard a loud bang, then I saw the smoke. It’s a big shock to everyone in the village.”

Charlotte Maher, who lives close to the mill, said: “The house completely shook. We thought it was an earthquake. Black smoke started coming out and we heard the sirens.

“Because Bosley is such a small village, a lot of people we know work there.

“It’s a major devastation for the village.”

Others spoke of their shock after the incident.

Patrick Jones, 52, from Biddulph, is a worker from the mill who left his shift at 6am.

He said: “I heard about what had happened and couldn’t believe it.”

Harvey Wilmot, who runs a car showroom on Smithy Lane, said: “I used to store cars down near the site. I heard a loud bang and the building shook. It was pandemonium, like the scene of a terrorist attack.”

Children at Bosley St Mary’s Primary School were on their way to an end-of-term service at a church when they heard the bang.

They were taken back to the school to protect them from toxic fumes.