FIRE crews remain at the scene of a massive tyre blaze almost 40 hours after it began.

Smoke and damage from around 400 tonnes of blazing tyres caused travel disruption yesterday after a fire broke out at a yard near Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire.

A spokeswoman for the fire service said the blaze had now been contained, but crews were still in attendance.

And firefighters found more than they bargained for after coming across a group of Polish people who were squatting in a factory near the former Shanks McEwan yard where the fire was blazing.

A full search of the area was carried out by firefighters called to the scene and it is thought the squatters were held in an office and questioned before being allowed to leave.

Two crews are still monitoring the situation today in case there was pockets of fire smouldering beneath the melted rubber and it was hoped investigations will soon begin into the cause.

Fire broke out at 8pm on Sunday and at its peak 25 firefighters battled to bring the flames under control.

Train services between Motherwell and Cumbernauld were disrupted but were back to normal by yesterday afternoon.

However, speed restrictions were in place today as a precaution as trains passed the scene.