Essex takeaway 'destroyed' in fire

A Southend restaurant has been destroyed in a fire.

Firefighters were called to the takeaway site on Wednesday evening (16 March) and found the fire had already spread to neighbouring properties.

Dave Bond, station manager, said: "Firefighters have worked incredibly hard to prevent this fire, which was already spreading rapidly when they arrived, from becoming even more significant. I'm pleased to confirm that no-one was injured.

"We appreciate that this is a busy road, at a busy time of day, so the co-operation from local residents and road users is really appreciated. I'd like to thank them for their support.

"Crews are likely to remain at this incident for some time this evening to make sure the scene is completely safe, so please do use an alternative route away from this area if you're travelling nearby."

It took crews more than two hours to extinguish the fire. A full investigation into its cause will be launched when the site has cooled.