Essex firefighters battle scrap metal fire on board ship at Tilbury docks

More than 40 firefighters from across Essex battled a fire on board a ship at Tilbury Docks.

Crews were called to the docked vessel just after 8pm on Thursday following reports of a scrap metal fire in the hold of the ship.

Working alongside a team at Tilbury Docks, firefighters managed to remove the metal using a dockside crane.

Station manager Dave Bond said: "The work of the initial crews from Orsett and Grays in establishing an understanding of what we were dealing with and then setting up that initial incident structure was key to ensuring this incident was resolved as quickly as possible."

He praised the way crews had worked together and with the ship's captain "with an understanding of the overall impact on the ship and its stability".