Fire shuts Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre

The centre was shut for more than an hour on Friday lunchtime after smoke from a fire in a rubbish compactor in the centre's servicing area spread into public areas of the mall.

Fire crews from Lambeth station and Dowgate in the City of London tackled the blaze and the London Ambulance Service sent crews to the scene to check centre staff for symptoms of smoke inhalation.

When the centre reopened to the public the smell of burning rubbish was still in the air.

Southwark Fire Station – formerly the nearest station to the shopping centre – was shut down last week.