April 4, 1980

TEN days after a £250,000 blaze, forensic experts were still sifting through the burnt-out shell of an Alcester bus and coach garage in an attempt to find the cause.

Fire gutted Regent Motorways' Station Road depot last weekend, destroying four coaches, a caravan, machine tools and various unidentified objects.

It took 30 firemen, who were risking serious injury from potential 'bomb' gas cylinders, almost an hour to bring the inferno under control.

But a spokesman for the coach company denied reports that the blaze would force them off the road.

Despite losing the four £25,000 vehicles at the maintenance depot, the company is operating a full service with coaches they have hired from other companies.

"At the moment we do not know what caused the blaze but there should be no undue inconvenience to any of our passengers," said Regent traffic manager John Dyer.

Police cordoned off the area while firemen from Alcester, Studley, Stratford and Bidford fought to make sure highly explosive acetylene and propane gas cylinders were safe.

The firemen were still there in the early hours of Sunday dampening down flames and ensuring that the blaze did not flare up again.

Regent moved into the depot just over two years ago. A company spokesman said the building and contents were all covered by insurance but could not say, at this time, when the depot was likely to reopen.