A fire in railway arches near London Bridge has blocked four lines and disrupted trains, with flames also spreading to a nearby car park.

Southeastern trains said all routes through nearby London Bridge station were “severely disrupted”, with services being diverted or terminated at other locations.

Ten fire engines and 70 firefighters were sent to the scene on Union Street, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

The blaze was “producing heavy smoke”, said LFB station commander Wayne Johnson.

A “couple of electric cars are ablaze” at a car park, Network Rail Kent and Sussex said on Twitter.

People living locally or working in the area were advised to keep their windows and doors closed.

“Trains to and from London Bridge are affected and several buildings have been evacuated,” Mr Johnson added.

LFB later said the fire was under control and there were no reports of any injuries.

Network Rail said it had “closed the railway until we can confirm it’s safe”.

It went on: “We’re working with London Fire Brigade and we will need to inspect the railway once the fire is out before we can reopen.”

Student Lauren Chopin, 20, lives a two-minute walk away from where the fire broke out and said she was wearing a mask.

“There is a lot of smoke all through Union Street and neighbouring streets,” she said.

“It sometimes slows down and the smoke becomes whiter, only to be followed by another huge burst of black smoke… we have closed all doors and windows to limit the amount of smoke coming in.”

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