A LARGE fire has torn through an empty Art Deco cinema in Birmingham.

West Midlands Fire and Rescue service said about 50 firefighters had been tackling the “severe” blaze that engulfed the Royalty Cinema in Harborne in the early hours of this morning.

Images showed smoke pouring from the roof of the building, which opened as a cinema in the 1930s.

The fire service said at around 4.10am that the fire had been brought under control, but warned locals that there was still a lot of smoke and advised them to keep windows and doors closed.

The High Street in Harborne was closed while crews worked at the scene.