Fire burns at Birmingham Shredmet scrapyard

A large fire involving 200 tonnes of waste metal has been burning for several hours at a scrapyard in Birmingham.

Five crews from West Midlands Fire Service have been at the Shredmet site on Aston Church Road, Nechells, since 08:15 BST.

Smoke can be seen billowing from the area and it is affecting visibility.

The company running the site said the blaze "occurred within metal that had not been processed" during lockdown.

Station commander Lee Baker tweeted a video of the fire, which showed thick smoke billowing in the air.

Crews said they were using diggers to create fire breaks in the pile of metal and advised people living nearby to keep their doors and windows shut.

No injuries have been reported, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

In a statement, Shredmet said: "The fire occurred within recycled metal being held that had not been processed due to the Covid-19 lockdown."

It added that its staff were considered key workers "supporting industry through this crisis".

The premises was the site of a fatal wall collapse in July 2016 in which five men died.

No criminal prosecutions have been brought and an inquest in 2018 recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

The Health and Safety Executive is continuing to investigate.

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