Fears of arson as two yards damaged

Flames tore through two Black Country yards in separate suspected arson attacks causing more than £2,000 damage to one and 100 tons of waste to be destroyed in the other.

Firefighters were called to the Crest Salvage Yard, in Park Street, Cradley Heath, on Saturday shortly after 10pm.

Flames shot almost 30ft high as the blaze took hold of a pile of wooden joists.

And just over 24 hours later, firefighters were called to AWM Group Recycling, in Budden Road, on Tipton Industrial Estate.

It took 15 firefighters more than an hour to bring the blaze under control.

In the Cradley Heath attack, arsonists are believed to have poured petrol over the security fencing to start the fire which is estimated to have wrecked £2,000 worth of timber. Crews from Brierley Hill and Oldbury tackled the fire for around two hours.

The 12 firefighters had to break into a council-owned storage building next door to stop the fire spreading.

Police are now investigating CCTV footage from cameras installed the yard.

Crews from Dudley, Bilston and Tipton attended the fire on Tipton Industrial Estate yesterday. Owners are still assessing the extent of the damage.