Factory units blitzed by arsonists

Fire ripped through five factory units in the Black Country, the ferocious blaze sending flames leaping 50ft into the night sky.

Fifty firefighters tackled the inferno after an arson attack at Conyers Packaging off Dudley Road, Lye, from 9.40pm last night.

The sprawling Conyers site backs onto the railway track and trains to and from nearby Lye station were cancelled.Police sealed off Dudley Road for several hours while crews battled the blaze.

Ten engines from across the region were diverted to the fire.

The units, which contained cardboard and wooden pallets, were completely gutted.Watch commander Rob Fullwood, from Stourbridge, said the operation was "scaled down" at 12.40am, three hours after the fire broke out.

Crews remained at the site through the early hours.