Listed Tipton building damaged in fire for second time in matter of months

West Midlands Fire Service were called to the historic property off Factory Road, Tipton, near to the Old Bush Bar and Grill, at around 10am on Friday morning.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was also in attendance but found no patients at the scene.

Shortly after 2pm, the fire was confirmed to have been extinguished, with fire crew left to tackle "several hotspots" on the roof.

Fire crew were said to have left the scene at around 3pm though will be revisiting to check for reignition.

Around 25 per cent of the building and its roof, including fly-tipped rubbish in and around the listed property, was damaged in the blaze.

Smoke could be seen surrounding the building as a result of the fire, which one nearby trader described as "thick" and said he was forced to close his windows.

The remains of a static caravan torn apart in the blaze could also be seen standing next to the property.

But it is not the first time the building has been damaged by fire, with fire crew having been called in June to reports that fly-tipping had been set alight.

It is believed that the property was an old boat gauging house, used to weigh the cargo carried by canal boats, which Historic England said dates back to 1873.