December 16 1977.

POLICE cordoned off a Redditch street because of the risk of an explosion as Green Goddess troops fought to put out a car blaze.

Minutes earlier, motorist Mr Robin Cope had screeched to a halt and abandoned his Vauxhall Viva car in Littlewoods, Crabbs Cross, as flames enveloped the engine.

He watched helpless as the fire - believed to have started with an electrical short circuit - swept through upholstery creating the inferno.

Redditch Chief Fire Officer Mr Keith Toes, who was first on the scene, ordered the road closure as the blaze neared the fuel petrol tank.

Soldiers arrived to douse the flames - too late to save civil engineer Mr Cope's £400 car.