Firefighters battle blaze at primary school

Thick plumes of black smoke could be seen from the A12, according to the Suffolk Fire Service

A fire broke out at a village school - with the plume of smoke reportedly visible from a major road.

Firefighters were called to East Bergholt VC Primary, on School Lane, in East Bergholt, Suffolk, at about 11:16 BST.

The crews - from both Suffolk and Essex - found a fire in a single-storey building approximately 30m (90ft) x 50m (165ft) in size which had spread under a flat roof.

The Suffolk Fire Service said the school was unoccupied and no casualties have been reported.

'Worse than a bonfire'

Images shared on social media appeared to show flames in the school grounds and thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky from behind nearby homes.

The fire service said the smoke could be seen as far away as the A12.

Emma Chinnery told the BBC she saw clouds of smoke near her house.

"I thought it looked worse than a bonfire smoke so went to inspect, [I} went to the road and staff came out explaining that it could be toxic," she said.

Five fire crews from Suffolk and Essex are battling a blaze at a primary school

Firefighters used breathing apparatus and hose reel jets to tackle the flames.

The fire service said that because of the scale of the incident, additional fire vehicles had been mobilised, including from across the border.

A spokesperson said: "The Environment Agency and Suffolk Police have been informed.

"Our colleagues at the Joint Emergency Planning Unit are coordinating with Suffolk County Council's education team."

'Under control'

Nigel Roberts, vice chair of East Bergholt Parish Council, told the BBC he believed the source of the fire was the solar panels on the roof of the school.

He said it had been put out by about 13:00 but firefighters had stayed at the school into the afternoon.

He added his "concerns about the gravity of it, or about the fire spreading, were alleviated because it was under control quite quickly".