BONFIRE night caused no problems for Malvern Fire Brigade this year, but three blazes unrelated to the occasion kept crews busy.

On Sunday afternoon, a fire caused extensive damaged to a house in Belmont Road.

Two fire engines attended the blaze after a blowtorch - turned off but still hot - ignited materials left on a workbench in a bedroom used as a hobby room.

The fire also caused smoke damage to the rest of the upper floor of the property.

Sub officer Saul Bolton said the blaze would have had less impact if the property's smoke alarm had been working and correctly fitted.

"People should make sure their smoke alarms are working and in the right place," he said. "If you've only got one alarm put it upstairs on the landing."

Anyone with concerns about their smoke alarm should contact Station Officer Jon Pryce at Malvern Fire Station on 01684 572948.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, police and firefighters were called to a skip in Spring Lane, Malvern Link, which had been deliberately set on fire.

The fire was reported by a taxi driver shortly after 2.30am.

Sub Officer Bolton said the skip contained plastic, so the flames took a reasonable amount of time to put out.

Three dark-haired youths wearing grey-black coats were seen near the skip at the time the fire start- ed.

Malvern police are appealing to anyone with information about the fire to contact them on 08457 444888.

Nearly all of the crew at Malvern Fire Station helped tackle a fire at a Leominster chocolate factory on Friday (November 5), when a large vat of chocolate crumb caught fire.

Sub Officer Bolton said the flames were difficult to extinguish because they were inside the container of chocolate, which needed to cool down.

A total of eight pumps and three special vehicles from across the two counties were called to the blaze. Crews from Leominster and Hereford were still at the scene on Monday.