FIRE services said yesterday that two blazes which broke out within an hour of each other in the same area of Stockton were not linked.

The fires took place in the early hours of yesterday in the Haverton Hill area.

The first incident was in a generator that caught fire at the civic amenity, in Haverton Hill Road, and the second took place at a nearby allotment.

Two fire engines from Billingham were called to deal with the allotment blaze, which destroyed a large timber shed to the rear of the North-East Truck and Van centre, in Hope Street.

Earlier, three appliances from Stockton and Billingham put out a fire in a generator at the civic amenity, which also damaged a steel container and cabling to closed-circuit television cameras in the area.

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Fire Brigade said neither incident was thought to be suspicious.