100 firefighters tackle Hereford blaze

More than 100 firefighters were deployed early today to tackle a major blaze which spread through three city centre buildings.

West Mercia Police, which was alerted to the fire at 4.37am, said several roads in the High Town area of Hereford had been closed to protect the public.

A police spokesman said: "No one appears to have been injured, although all premises have not yet been searched.

"Substantial fire damage has been caused and emergency services are now trying to prevent further damage to the buildings affected and surrounding areas."

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said more than 20 appliances were at the scene of the blaze, which also caused smoke damage to two other buildings.

Bus services in the city have been disrupted and roads which have been closed include Union Street, St Peter's Street, Offa Street and St Peter's Square.