Outbuilding blaze in Southend spreads to rubbish pile and trees

Firefighters have been tackling a large fire in Southend, with nearby residents advised to keep their doors and windows shut to keep out smoke.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service was called at about 16:00 BST to Eastern Avenue.

Incident commander Dean Riley said: “Crews arrived to a well developed fire which was spreading from an outbuilding to a pile of rubbish and nearby trees.

“Firefighters have worked hard in very warm weather conditions to surround the fire and stop it from spreading to nearby buildings and a supermarket.”