Sunderland scrapyard fire challenging amid warm weather

More than 30 firefighters were called to tackle the blaze in Hendon

A fire has broken out at a scrapyard in Sunderland, with crews working to control the blaze amid the "extremely torturous" heat from the weather.

The blaze at the site in Hendon Street was reported shortly after 11:00 BST.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was "serious" and its teams had worked amid "challenging temperatures".

A large amount of material was on fire, but there are no reports of any injuries, the service said.

It comes as the Met Office issued its first extreme heat warning for parts of the UK.

It is not known how the blaze started

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Peter Heath from the fire service said crews were expected to be at the scene until the early hours of Tuesday to dampen down the area.

"It's extremely torturous to work in this heat but the firefighters are committed to it, we are systematically working to deal with this fire," he said.

Residents are being encouraged to keep windows and doors closed and people should avoid the area.

Thirty firefighters and seven engines, including teams from Newcastle, Gateshead and South Shields, were called to the scene.