A large blaze tore through the roof of a multi-million pound development next to Regent's Canal in east London.

Eighty firefighters were dispatched to tackle the fire at the unoccupied five-storey building in Bow Wharf, Wennington Road, at 11.10am.

The flames engulfed the fourth floor and the entire roof of the waterside flats, which were under construction and reportedly on the market for up to £1m each.

Mile End park and a number of roads surrounding the development in Mace Street were evacuated, and the London Fire Brigade has announced road closures in the area including Wennington Road.

A huge blaze broke out at some unoccupied flats in Bethnal Green, east London (@IbrahimChsTV Twitter)

Huge plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the roof in photos and footage posted social media users including @IbrahimChsTV and @canterburygeeks.

@WhartonHouseRes tweeted: "This is 5 mins from us right now near Mile End. When will When will @Official_OHG take fire risk seriously?"

The fire is now said to be under control following efforts by twelve fire crews, two aerial appliances and police.

But firefighters will remain at the scene for some time as they continue to dampen down the flames.

Officials confirmed that nobody was injured during the incident, and the cause of the fire is yet to be identified.

Firefighters continue to tackle the blaze in Mace Street, Bethnal Green, east London (@IbrahimChsTV Twitter)

The development, at the junction of the Regents and Hereford Union canals, consisted of 24 units with prices of up to £1m.