A blaze at a Wolverhampton factory sent a thick plume of black smoke into the sky that was seen by motorists up to five miles away.

People travelling north into the city centre bombarded the West Midlands Fire Control switchboard with 999 calls after seeing smoke.

Firefighters from across Wolverhampton were sent to Premier Mortars in Horseley Fields at 7.10 pm where a blaze had broken out in a 60ft-high corrugated building. It is not clear what caused the blaze which is believed to have started on an outside conveyor belt. Watch commander Tony Bucknall, based at the Merridale Street station, said the machinery was not being used at the time and the premises were locked up.

“We had to force our way in to deal with the fire but were able to bring it under control very quickly. However the rubber of the conveyor belt created dense, acrid-smelling smoke which could be seen from a long way away.”