Firefighters extinguish large blaze at business unit

Thick black smoke could be seen rising from the fire in St Andrew's Road

A large fire at a business unit which destroyed a shipping container and shed in Northampton has been extinguished.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the fire at a business unit on St Andrew's Road in the town shortly before 20:30 BST.

It said crews found a temporary scaffolding structure which was storing items including plastic and ladders on fire.

The fire was extinguished by 22:00 and crews from The Mounts, Moulton and Earls Barton remained on scene until just after 23:30 to damp down the structure and ensure temperatures were safe.

Northamptonshire Police also attended the incident to close the road and set up a scene guard while firefighters tackled the blaze.

A shipping container and shed were destroyed in the fire.

BBC journalist Verity Wilde said she saw two fire engines and a fire car at the scene, and that smoke from the fire could be smelled from several hundred metres away.

Residents were advised to keep their doors and windows closed due to a large plume of smoke and people were asked to avoid the area.

The Mounts crew returned at 07:00 on Wednesday and an investigation will take place to determine the cause.