A fire broke out in Hereford city centre during its annual historic May Fair.

About 20 firefighters were sent to the scene in Commercial Street, where a mobile tea and coffee stall had caught fire and was completely destroyed.

Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the blaze, which was reported to emergency crews at about 11:00 BST, said Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.

A traditional ceremony was held on Tuesday to officially open the fair, which has taken place in the town for more than 900 years.

The event is the oldest surviving charter fair in Britain, according to the local council, and sees rides and food stalls set up for visitors.

Fire service group commander Dave Swallow said the fire started in one of the catering units which was part of the fair, destroying it along with causing some cosmetic damage to adjacent buildings.

No-one was inside the unit at the time.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said a passing paramedic came across the fire and an ambulance was sent to the scene.

"A man from the truck was assessed and had sustained injuries not believed to be serious," a ambulance service spokesperson said.

"He received treatment from ambulance staff at the scene and declined further treatment. He received self care advice before being discharged at the scene."

Mr Swallow said the fire service worked closely with the Showmen's Guild (a professional organization for fairground operators) when the fair was on and carried out daily checks to ensure fire safety rules were met, with enough space between units, stalls and rides.

"By maintaining that space, we limit the possibility of damage from fire spread reaching the adjacent buildings," he said.

"Crews were able to tackle the fire very quickly and bring it under control.

"The fire happened in the morning so the city centre wasn't too busy.

"Thankfully, there were not large numbers of the public knocking about and that allowed us to get access to the fire quite quickly, but it's quite a devastating fire for the stall holder," he added.

"Terrifying" videos showing people driving past a motorway junction's new stop signs have prompted calls to lower the speed limit.

A number of serious crashes at junction 37 on the M6, which carries the A684 over the motorway near Kendal, Cumbria, led to safety works which were completed last year.

These included stop signs at the exit slip roads and road markings on the A684.

MP Tim Farron and Liberal Democrat councillors Hazel Hodgson and Ian Mitchell now want a 40mph speed limit introduced. Westmorland and Furness Council has been contacted for comment.

National Highways said drivers failing to stop at junction 37 was a concern.

A spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, we aren't able to determine whether they are consciously ignoring the requirement to stop, or if some aren't noticing the very clear signage."

It said that if extra measures to improve safety were identified it would "aim to bring works forward to deliver them", but the decision to limit speed was for the Lib Dem-led council to consider.

In a letter, the Lib Dem MP and councillors called for the introduction of a 40mph speed limit on the stretch of the A684 at Junction 37, with a speed camera to enforce it.

"The recent video evidence gathered by National Highways which shows that many drivers are ignoring the new stop signs and are dangerously flying over the junction is as terrifying as it is sadly unsurprising," the letter read.

They said a speed limit would mean road users travelling past the junction would be in a better position to react to vehicles pulling out from the junction in front of them.

The politicians said they were grateful for the safety work so far but that it was "painfully clear that more needs to be done".

The age of a suspect arrested on suspicion of stabbing two other children repeatedly at a bus-stop is a "huge concern", police said.

A 14-year-old boy is in custody on suspicion of attempted murder after a boy, 15, and a 14-year-old girl suffered knife wounds in Kirkby, Merseyside, shortly before 20:25 BST on Wednesday.

Merseyside Police Ch Insp Ray Mavrakakis, who grew up close to the scene on Whitefield Drive, told the BBC police believed the attack was related to an earlier incident involving a group of youths in nearby Tithe Barn Lane.

He added the force would "try to reassure the community as best we can".

Ch Insp Mavrakakis said: "It was a beautiful evening outside of a public house and a shop. It was witnessed by numerous members of the public… there will be a negative impact on the community."

One suspect is still at large, with detectives unclear if they were male or female from the clothes they were wearing.

Witnesses described looking out of their windows to see the boy collapsed near a bus-stop opposite the New Johnny Todd pub and a Go Local Extra shop.

One woman, who did not wish to be named, said she was someone running away from the scene after hearing shouts and screams.

She added: "It's scary. You only really see it on the TV, but that close to where you live… I just hope they're alright."

Eddie Puskepalis, who lives near the scene, said: "You never really think it's going to happen right outside of your front doorstep."

Another witness said residents and passers-by rushed to help the two teenage victims.

She told the BBC: "I'm completely speechless. I've got young kids, and all the kids will want to know what's going on."

Ch Insp Mavrakakis said the ages of the suspect and the two victims was a "huge concern" and led to the offence being declared a "critical incident" on Thursday.

He added: "Being from Kirkby myself, in particular Westvale, I grew up literally a mile down the round from where it happened last night.

"It concerns me greatly."

He said police would carry out enhanced stop-and-search procedures and had increased the number of patrols in the Westvale area.

"My appeal would be to anyone considering carrying a knife, it's just be absolutely aware of the consequences," Ch Insp Mavrakakis said.

He said people who carried knives for protection had to be aware "statistics prove that you can become a victim of serious violent crime".