Fire breaks out in car park at Lakeside Shopping Centre

An investigation is under way after a fire broke out in a car park at one of the UK’s biggest shopping centres.

Firefighters said they were called to reports of a blaze in a multi-story car park at Lakeside in Thurrock, Essex shortly before 15:00 BST.

The fire was discovered in the stairwell of a roof but was quickly contained.

There were no injuries and no vehicles were affected.

An Essex County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said crews from three stations attended the incident and the fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes.

Watch manager Danny Harper added: “Crews have done a great job and have quickly stopped the fire from spreading further.

“Luckily, there are no cars on this level, so no vehicles have been affected.

“An investigation will now be carried out into the cause of the fire.”