A major fire has destroyed most of the National Motorcycle Museum near Birmingham.
About 650 vintage machines worth between £7m and £9m have been destroyed.

Some bikes were moved to safety by delegates to a business meeting.

The museum, at Bickenhill near Birmingham International Airport, was home to more than 900 vintage machines - many of them unique - tracing the history of the British motorcycle industry.

Owner Roy Richards started collecting the bikes in the 1970s and the museum opened in 1984 with an initial collection of 350 machines.

It has been attracting about 250,000 visitors a year and is also a big conference centre.

Mr Richards told the BBC: "It is a devastating loss, not just to me, but the for the country as a whole."

The fire is believed to have destroyed more than 60% of the building, with three of the museum's five halls burnt out.

Firefighters will be at the scene for another 48 hours, but the fire is now said to be under control.

At the height of the fire, there were big delays on the A45 between Birmingham and Coventry and smoke was drifting across the nearby M42.

The traffic problems made it difficult for the fleets of fire engines trying to get to the scene.

It is not yet known how the fire started.

The Department of Trade and Industry Minister, Jacqui Smith, had been due to attend a conference at the museum on Tuesday evening.

A DTI spokeswoman said: "She was expected to attend the Manufacturing Advisory Service dinner which was cancelled because of the fire.

"She was informed long before she was due to be there that it would not be taking place.

"She will be contacting the museum tomorrow to pass on her condolences."