The Environment Agency were also made aware of the incident due to the nature of the fire

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Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service had their work cut out last night, spending almost five hours trying to extinguish a blaze in the Wallsend area.

Four units from Byker, Hebburn, South Shields and Wallsend worked tirelessly for four hours and forty minutes to combat an inferno which started inside of a shipping container around 8.45pm.

The cause is still unknown but servicemen revealed that the container itself was carrying a large rubber bumper for a cargo ship.

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Crews are carrying out enquiries to determine the cause of ignition, and the Environmental Agency were made aware of the incident.

A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We can confirm that four appliances were deployed to Carville Road in Wallsend last night following reports of a fire in a shipping container.

“The emergency call came into our Fire Control at 8.45pm and the first appliance was on the scene within four-minutes. The crews in attendance of the incident near to Segedunum were from Byker, Hebburn, South Shields and Wallsend.

"The source of the fire was a shipping container carrying a large rubber bumper for a cargo ship. Enquiries to establish the cause of the fire are ongoing.

“Our crews left the scene at 01:27am after four hours and forty minutes of containing and extinguishing the fire. We also made the Environment Agency aware of the incident due to the nature of the fire.

"However, there is not believed to be any wider risk to the community and nobody has reported to have been injured during the incident.”

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