Warburtons has suffered a fire on a muffin line at its Variety Bakery in Bolton.

The blaze broke out on the morning of 11 July, and was attended by three fire engines, from Bolton and Bolton North stations, who contained and extinguished the fire.

It was caused by a build-up of dust which had overheated, said a spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

A Warburtons spokesperson confirmed there had been a small fire in a debris containment unit on the muffin line at the Britannia Way site: "All employees were safely evacuated, while the fire was promptly contained and extinguished by the fire brigade." She added that no damage had been caused to the plant or the building and that Warburtons was currently working to get the line up and running again.

In other news, Warburtons has just filed its accounts for the full year to 25 September 2010. The firm said its underlying trading performance was not as strong as the previous year, put down in part to the difficult trading environment, resulting in an increased level of commercial support through promotions and pricing in order for it to maintain its market share position.

Turnover stood at £492m for the 52-week period, dropping from £510m in 2009. This represented a decline in sales of 3.6%. Profit before tax fell £5.1m to £28.8m.

The fire which took place at its Hereford Street bakery in July 2010 resulted in a number of exceptional items, with an insurance claim still ongoing. Sixty firefighters fought to put out a blaze that was contained to its ChippidyDooDaa snack plant.

>>Warburtons goes back to snacks

>>Fire halts production at Warburtons bakery