ALARMED residents were evacuated from their homes when fire broke out close to a Bromsgrove petrol station.

Police evacuated around 50 houses when the blaze, which is thought to have started on wasteland behind Spa Cars in Birmingham Road, tore through three workshops and a storage unit on Sunday evening.

Firefighters were called from Bromsgrove, Redditch and Malvern just before 9.30pm to tackle the fire next to the Esso garage. They also worked to cool down acetylene cylinders, which were being stored inside the workshops.

Bromsgrove District Council offered shelter for evacuees in the Spadesbourne Suite, Burcot Lane, while police closed a nearby stretch of the A38 and junction 1 of the M42 while fire crews tackled the blaze.

Marlbrook resident Martyn Rollason, who took photographs of the blaze, said: "The fire appeared to be coming from the workshops belonging to Spa Cars at the rear of the petrol station.

"It was initially fairly small, however this soon turned into quite a blaze and it was clear that there was a risk that the trees behind the workshop could catch fire but the firemen kept it under control."

The fire caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage and has left many businesses picking up the pieces.

Spa Cars boss John Musgrove said: "This is a major upheaval for those whose workshops were damaged in the blaze, where many had their own businesses.

"This disrupted us slightly but we were lucky and our business is open as usual."

The evacuees from Birmingham Road, Forest Close and Lickey End Working Men's Club, in Alcester Road, returned to their homes shortly after midnight.

District council leader Dennis Norton (Con-Norton) said: "The council did a fantastic job. They were well organised and managed to set up a reception centre, providing tea and coffee to the residents who had been evacuated from their homes."