Northern Rail services disrupted by tyre fire near Manchester railway line

Blaze blocks train lines between Manchester Victoria and Wigan Wallgate

A fire near a railway line has caused disruption for commuters and sent a huge plume of smoke drifting across Manchester.

Fire crews were called to the blaze, which involved a large quantity of tyres and light goods, in Salford at 5.44am on Tuesday.

The fire blocked train lines between Manchester Victoria and Wigan Wallgate.

Both National Rail and Northern Rail said their services were disrupted by the fire.

A spokesman for Northern said the line reopened at 9.35am and was running with minimal delays.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "The fire is close to the train line but is not encroaching and has also created a large plume of smoke which is drifting towards Manchester city centre."

A thick plume of black smoke drifted over Manchester (Wesley Pearce/PA)

The blaze was brought under control just after 7am.

Pictures and videos posted on social media showed the plume of black smoke.

The fire service warned local residents to keep windows and doors closed.

Greater Manchester Police said inquiries into the circumstances of the blaze were under way and a number of road closures had been put in place.

Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 5127, quoting incident number 309 of 07/08/18, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111