Drink driving charge after car destroyed by fire

A 57-year-old man has been charged on suspicion of drink driving after a vehicle caught fire in Shropshire, causing explosions and large column of black smoke.

Multiple people called 999 to report a vehicle alight on Adderley Road at the junction with Milton Drive in Market Drayton on Wednesday evening.

The fire service responded at 20:14 BST and found a Range Rover Evoque engulfed in flames.

No injuries have been reported as a result of the incident, and the cause of the fire is not being treated as suspicious.

A foam jet had to be used to deal with the intensity of the flames, with magnesium components within the car reacting "violently" with water, Market Drayton Fire Station said.

Adderley Road was shut while the fire was extinguished, before one lane was later reopened.

The flames were out within five minutes of officers arriving on the scene, the service said, but the vehicle was destroyed and the road surface left damaged.

A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: "Andrew Passey, 57, of Blandford Way in Market Drayton, has been charged with driving a motor vehicle when alcohol level was above the limit."

He is due to appear at Telford Magistrates Court on the 18 June.

Market Drayton Fire Station said in a Facebook post it would like to thank members of the public "for their kind offers of tea and coffee" while it was dealing with the incident.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.