Scrapyard blaze 'accidental' fire service confirm

Fire crews were called at around 14:20 GMT on Saturday

A blaze in a yard in St Werburgh's, close to the M32 motorwayt sent plumes of black smoke over parts of Bristol started accidentally, the fire service has confirmed.

Around seven tonnes of scrap metal stored, caught fire in the incident yesterday afternoon.

At the height of the incident, which began at around 14:20 GMT, there were seven fire crews and a water bowser in attendance.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service area manager Vaughan Jenkins told the BBC the fire had been extinguished by around 18:30 GMT.

Pictures shared widely on social media show dense smoke drifting through the east of the city, including across the busy motorway leading into the centre of Bristol.

Residents over a wide area also described a strong burning smell, with people living in nearby properties and drivers passing by urged to close their windows due to the smoke.

No one is believed to have been injured in the incident and the fire service response was scaled back to two fire engines once it had been extinguished.

Mr Jenkins said these remained on site to ensure the fire did not restart, with further checks carried out throughout the night.