Sony warehouse razed in London riots

A major Sony warehouse responsible for distributing optical discs, such as Blu-rays, DVDs, games, music and films has been destroyed by rioters in London.

The warehouse was based in Enfield, one of the flash points of the London riots, was set alight in the late hours of Monday night, Sony confirmed.

"The fire is under control but can be described as 'smouldering' and consequently no-one can enter the facility," a Sony spokeswoman told ZDNet UK on Tuesday. "Therefore at this time we are unable to confirm the extent of the damage or the cause until the fire is fully extinguished and a full investigation can be carried out by the authorities."

According to the report, deliveries of music, films and games, as well as blank optical media such as Blu-ray discs, DVDs and CDs, could be affected by the Enfield blaze, as the warehouse was the company's only location for UK-bound content.

"There will likely be some impact on deliveries," said Yoko Yasukochi, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman for the company, told Reuters.

The fire was just one victim of the London riots, which started as a peaceful protest in the Tottenham area of north London on Saturday, over the fatal shooting of a police suspect.

On Monday, RIM said it had "engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can" following reports that the BlackBerry Messenger service was being used to privately share messages and co-ordinate the looting.