Vehicles destroyed as blaze hits site

Two skip lorries and a digger were destroyed in a blaze in Walsall town centre. Firefighters were still at the scene in Garden Street today.

Cylinders containing acetyline – a gas used for welding – were found on the site and needed to be cooled to prevent an explosion.

The lorries and the digger, on the Mountford Norman Commercial Vehicle Repairs site, were discovered ablaze at about 10.10 last night and four pumps from Walsall, Bloxwich and Willenhall were called to the scene.

Firefighter Darren Simkin, of Walsall fire station, said the equipment was completely destroyed during the incident near the Leather Museum and Walsall College.

West Midlands Police spokeswoman Catherine Preece confirmed police are investigating the blaze.

Owner of the site Norman Mountford said he was storing the two skip lorries and the digging machine for a friend.

Mr Mountford said: "I got a phone call at 10.30 that there was a fire in the yard and came straight down here."

Mr Mountford runs a commercial vehicle repair business and rents the premises.

The burnt out skip lorries and the digger have been removed from the scene overnight.