IN VIDEO and PICTURES: Major fire breaks out on Stafford industrial estate

Fifty firefighters were at a warehouse on the Astonfields Industrial Estate, and residents were told to keep windows shut by Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service as they battled to stop the blaze spreading to 40,000 litres of oil.

The building had reportedly collapsed by 11am, but the fire continued to burn. Two hundred people from St Patrick's School on Marston Road were evacuated.

As local businesses and schools were evacuated, nearby Stafford Rangers are offering their social club as somewhere for them to take shelter.

Stafford Leisure Centre is also opening as a crisis centre for the evacuees.

The industrial estate has been completely blocked off by police, with no entrance from Common Road and Sandon Road.

• Fire broke out at 8.45am at Global Hygiene Warehouse

• Large explosions and plumes of smoke seen for miles around, as schools evacuate

• One person left with burns to hands

• Residents urged to shut windows

• Stafford Rangers ground being used as rendevous point

• Blaze has been contained

• Cause of fire not yet clear

• Astonfields Road remains closed

• Two residents in emergency accommodation overnight