Cigarette sparks fatal van fire

Fire crews were called to the scene of the van fire

A driver was engulfed in flames after he lit up a cigarette while in a van full of paints and thinners.

Paul Smith, 37, sparked the fire when he pulled over into a lay-by in Wombourne, Staffordshire, and lit up, causing the flammable materials to catch light.

Motorists stopped to help the burning man at 1900 GMT on Friday.

Mr Smith, from Warstones, Wolverhampton, was taken to the city's New Cross Hospital where he later died.

He suffered 100% burns in the fire on the A454 in Bridgnorth.

The road remains closed while scenes of crime officers and fire investigators examine the scene.

Police are treating the incident as an accident and have informed the coroner of the circumstances surrounding Mr Smith's death.