Firefighters battle large fire at historic Kent pub

Firefighters extinguished a large fire at the Chequers Inn in Aylesford, Kent early this morning with the historic pub suffering significant fire and smoke damage.

At the height of the blaze eight fire engines and a height vehicle were in attendance as crews tried to extinguish flames, which were coming from a first-floor window and had spread to the roof.

The fire was extinguished shortly after 8am but the pub had suffered "significant fire and smoke damage". The cause of the blaze remains unknown.

In a statement published to social media the owners of the pub, who also operate the Hengist Village Bar and Dining Room in Aylesford and the Walnut Tree Yalding in Yalding, said: "We are very sorry to say that our beloved Chequers suffered a fire in the early hours of this morning. We are not sure on the extent of the damage yet but it's safe to say we won't be open today."

It added: "Massive thank you to Kent Fire and Rescue Service for their help."

The owners later said that while a few upstairs rooms were very badly damaged, most of the pub had been saved from the fire.

No one was injured in the fire.

Images: The Chequers pub Facebook