EIGHTY cars went up in flames in a huge fire in Shedfield yesterday evening.

Two-dozen fire fighters battled for more than two-and-a-half hours to bring the blaze at Silverlake Garage Scrap Yard under control.

Vehicles at the four-acre site in Botley Road were laden with flammable liquids such as petrol and diesel.

Crews from Wickham, Botley, Bishop’s Waltham, and Hightown used four jets and two sets of breathing apparatus to tackle the fire, which broke out around 8pm.

They were still damping down the wreckage the following morning to ensure there were no further flare-ups.

Group manager Tom Carr of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Our fire crews worked extremely hard in very hot conditions, ensuring that safety was paramount and that the fire was confined to a small section of the breakers yard.

“Silverlake’s on site management and storage facilities, with vehicles stored in a three-bay racking system, along with good access around the yard, also assisted with the containment of the fire.”

On Wednesday fire investigation officers and Hampshire Police began a joint probe into the blaze.

Early indications suggest that the blaze may have started in one of the vehicles, however the cause of this incident is as yet unknown.