The Fletcher's bakery fire raged for more than eight hours

The blaze last Sunday destroyed a third of the site, but owner Northern Foods said it intended to rebuild the plant.

Office workers were back at their desks in a building left untouched by the blaze. Remaining parts of the site are still under assessment, bosses said.

The company said it hoped all 650 staff would return by September.

'Fantastic support'

Northern Foods also confirmed the fire had not affected plans to sell the bakery, saying the process was already under way and would continue.

Director of the bakery division, Jeff Halliwell, said: "Everyone has worked flat out over the last six days and I would like to thank them for all their fantastic support.

"Having addressed the immediate issues, our focus now is on getting the operations up and running and planning for the longer term."

Mr Halliwell said the company appreciated the support of local residents and thanked the efforts of the fire service and police.