Vehicle fire close to busy Sunderland Street

Emergency services were called to a vehicle fire outside a block of flats in Sunderland.

The 24-apartment Alexander Court flats, near the bottom of Chester Road, were cordoned off while firefighters attended the blaze. No casualties have been reported.

A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service Spokesperson told the Echo: "We received a call at 4:55pm yesterday afternoon (12th December) about a vehicle fire in Sunderland.

"Our Fire Control dispatched two appliances to Chester Road who were on scene in just three minutes.

"Upon arrival, due to the proximity of surrounding buildings to the fire and the narrow road, a further two appliances and our Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) were also dispatched.

"Our crews extinguished the fire and left the incident in the hands of the police at 5:48pm."