Crews tackle scrapyard blaze

Around 50 firefighters were called to a scrapyard in the Black Country after a blaze involving more than 100 cars.

A thick plume of smoke could be seen miles away after the fire ripped through the scrap cars at Green Lane Motor Salvage in Bloxwich.

Ten fire engines from across the Black Country were called to Fryers Road after the blaze started at around 4.30pm yesterday.

Eight firefighters managed to bring the bulk of the flames under control and stop it spreading within an hour. At its peak the smoke could be seen by motorists travelling along the M6 motorway and as far afield as Wolverhampton.

The road was blocked off but firefighters did not need to evacuate any nearby businesses. The yard sits next to the Walsall Council recycling centre.

Workers managed to help crews get to the seat of the fire using machinery to dig away some of the cars. Crews were scaled down through the early evening as the blaze was brought under control and firefighters left the scene by around 9.30pm.

The cause of the blaze is unknown but is not believed to be suspicious. No-one was injured and the yard was open today.