A serious blaze was averted in Shoreham this morning after a fuel tanker caught fire close to people's homes.

The fire broke out in the tanker's cab in Dolphin Road at 5am.

Firefighters trained hoses on the tank to keep it cool.

The cab was destroyed and the rear end of a nearby parked lorry was damaged.

More than 50 firefighters were called to the scene.

A brigade spokesman said: "Due to the quick reaction of fire crews, what could have been a very serious fire was averted and local properties were not in danger."

The blaze was being treated as suspicious.