A FIRE broke out at The Deck apartments overlooking the River Mersey in Runcorn old town.

Firefighters used breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera to detect the source of smoke inside one of the multi-storey buildings in Mersey Road.

A spokesman for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said:”A plastic cigarette bucket next to a wooden door outside the building was found to be the cause and a hose reel was used to extinguish the fire. The building was then ventilated.”

The fire broke out shortly after 2am on Sunday, April 13.