A FIRE at a scrapyard in the Pill area of Newport brought the area to a standstill, with roads cordoned off and smoke plumes that could be seen for miles.

Firefighters were called to the scene - near Church Street - shortly after 6.30pm, to begin tackling the fire at the yard, which contains '100 tonnes of scrap metal'.

Four fire engines and two water bowsers were attended, with crews from across Newport, and from Aberbargoed fire station, on hand.

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It was almost two hours before crews signalled that they did not need further assistance.

A junction off the A48 Southern Distributor Road, between the Transporter Bridge and Usk Way, was closed for a time as efforts were made to bring the fire under control.

Damping down operations have continued through the night. It is not yet known what caused the fire.