Pub staff devastated after overnight blaze

The landlord and landlady of a pub said they were devastated following a fire at the business in the early hours of the morning.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Earlham, Wroxham, Carrow and Sprowston attended a fire at the Old Mill on The Square in Drayton, Thorpe Marriott, at 03:46 BST.

Mark and Carol Wenn, who live in a flat within the pub, said they were alerted to the fire after the alarm went off and they could hear the "timbers crackling".

Norfolk Police said the incident was being treated as suspected arson and a cordon around the building remained in place.

A spokesperson for Greene King, which owns the pub, said: "We are extremely grateful for the swift actions of emergency services after a fire broke out at the Old Mill in Thorpe Marriott.

"Thankfully, no-one was harmed or injured and we are working with emergency services to assess the damage and cause of the fire."

The pub, which was formerly known as The Otter, said on Facebook it would be "closed for a while".

A spokesperson for Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said it received a report of the fire at 07:09.

They added: "We are revisiting the site this morning and a fire investigation is planned to establish the cause of the fire, which will start when it is safe to do so. We continue to work with police colleagues."

Carol said: "The fire damage is restricted to the roof but obviously all the ceilings have come down due to the water damage and everything."

The pub recently underwent a £500,000 renovation 18 months ago.

She said: "It was completely gutted inside and redecorated. New furniture, new carpets, new everything, the outside was redecorated as well.

"Just standing there watching the porch go up and then it started spreading and I thought hurry up fire brigade before it reaches the flat and everything else."

The couple said they were in the process of finding somewhere else to stay.

Carol said: "Some of the customers have offered us places to stay. They've been really good and we've had lots of phone calls offering us somewhere to go."

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