A huge fire which sent 500 tonnes of paper up in smoke was the latest in a spate of blazes at recycling plants, according to senior firefighters.

The blaze at the Premier Waste plant in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham started in the early hours of Monday morning and at its height was tackled by 75 firefighters, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service said.

While the cause is still unknown, area commander Simon Shilton said it was the latest recycling plant blaze to hit the region, incidents which he said now risk becoming "a real drain on our resources".

In July, the fire service dealt with what it said was its largest ever blaze at a plastics plant in Smethwick - caused by a floating paper lantern - which led to £6 million of damage. The latest fire was discovered at about 2.45am after an automatic building alarm alerted staff at the site, which operates day and night.

Mr Shilton described it as a "significant" and "intense" blaze. He said: "At the height we had about 75 firefighters, with the fire itself involving a mixture of plastics and paper products. It created a hugely intense fire in one building. Fortunately we were able to contain it."

He added: "At some stages the external parts of the building were glowing red, and that makes it even more challenging when we're trying to get some assertive firefighting and trying to get inside the building."

Premier Waste site staff used diggers to help section the remaining waste paper to allow firefighters to get at "hotspots", Mr Shilton said.

The latest fire brings to almost 20 the number of such incidents West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service has dealt with since January, and a few hours prior to the latest blaze crews were dealing with a smaller fire at a recycling plant in Wolverhampton.

Mr Shilton said the fire service had seen "a significant increase" in the number of blazes at recycling plants this year alone.

"Recycled material is big business nowadays and there's a lot of companies building their business based on recycled waste material," he said. "We have seen a significant increase in the number of incidents we've attended for these type of premises this year, and for us it's a real drain on our resources."