Firefighters are continuing to investigate the cause of a blaze in a bin area at the back of a takeaway in Oxford city centre this morning.

The fire broke out in the back yard of Domino's Pizza, in Becket Street, at about 8.15am.

A large plume of smoke and 10ft-high flames could be seen behind the shops in Frideswide Square.

Twelve firefighters from nearby Rewley Road fire station brought the blaze under control after flames spread from the bins to the building itself.

Incident commander Paul Webster said: “Commuters walking to the train station saw the fire and immediately called it in.

“Without their vigilance, and the swift response of firefighters, we could have been dealing with a much more serious fire.

“We checked the premises nearby to make sure the fire and smoke had not spread, and we will now be giving fire safety advice to Domino’s Pizza, and residents who share the bin area, to advise them to keep bins away from buildings.

“There is no clear cause of this fire and we are continuing to investigate.”

Frankie Law, 51, the manager of Oriental Condor Chinese restaurant in Park End Street, who lives next door to Domino’s, said: “At about 8am, I heard a sparkle and then I looked out of my window and saw flames shooting up into the air.

“I phoned 999 but the firefighters were already on their way.”

BMW worker Slobo Trajkov, who lives in a flat next to Domino’s, added: “I got a knock on my door and someone said ‘there’s a fire, get out’.

“It was very worrying for me because I had just woken up.”

A spokesman for Oxfordshire Fire Service said Becket Street, which was closed to traffic at the junction of Botley Road while fire crews dealt with the incident, was expected to reopen shortly after 10am.

No-one from Domino’s Pizza was available for comment.