One of two men killed in a fire at a fireworks warehouse was a former student of the University of Bradford.

Stewart Staples, 57, had studied civil engineering before going on to work in the highways department of Staffordshire County Council.

He died along with Simon Hillier, 41, in the blaze at the SP Plastics industrial unit on the Baswich Industrial Estate in Stafford last Thursday.

Mr Staples, a married father-of-three and grandfather - worked as a laboratory manager at Staffordshire Council.

Detectives believe Mr Hillier was working at the site, while it is thought Mr Staples was a customer. Both men lived in Hednesford.

Mr Staples' family said: "Stewart Staples was a devoted family man with a wife, three children and a young grandson.

"We as a family are totally shocked and devastated about Stewart's death. We need to come to terms with the tragic loss of someone who was a devoted and much loved family man."

The scene of the blaze remained sealed off over the weekend while fire service and police investigators continue their probe.

The industrial unit, which is only a few hundred yards from 150 homes, had been used to store what police described as "a significant volume of fireworks".