A fire has seriously damaged Oxfam's clothing sorting facility in Huddersfield, with the charity confirming that more than £100,000 of stock has been lost, along with almost all of its machinery and plant.

Oxfam Wastesaver, which has been in operation since 1967, sorts thousands of tonnes of donated clothes and textiles for the charity.

It is part of Oxfam's trading arm, Oxfam Activities Limited, which made a profit of £2.2m last year.

It was hit by a fire last Saturday. David McCullough, Oxfam's director of trading, said the damage had badly hit the operation.

He said: "It's very sad, the loss of Wastesaver, which has been a feature of our operation since 1967 - one of which we've been very proud."

According to the forensic investigations team, the fire was so severe that it is unlikely it will be able to determine its cause. There is currently no evidence of any suspicious cause for the fire.

Two nearby Oxfam storage facilities were unaffected. The damaged building was the main production facility. Oxfam is now looking for temporary premises. Staff will continue to be paid as usual.

Oxfam Wastesaver receives clothes, textiles and shoes from donations that are not immediately sold through the charity's shops.

The facility sorts through the donations and they are either sent out to shops, sold online, exported or recycled.

Oxfam's website says it is the only major charity to operate its own textile sorting facility.

In 2006, Oxfam said that without Wastesaver it would be "making a significant loss."