Huge plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing from a car workshop on Saturday afternoon, which was gutted in the blaze.

Five cars were also destroyed in the fire at the garage in Lamb Lane, off Mare Street in Hackney Central, which broke out just after 1pm.

Half of a three-floor converted office block next door was also damaged.

Over 72 fire fighters using 10 fire engines were drafted in to tackle the fire and to cool down a propane cylinder to prevent the fire spreading further.

They had the fire under control after two hours, but crews were at the scene damping down for hours afterwards.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.