Skip to content

Fish and chip shop destroyed by fire set to reopen

Alex Pope
BBC News, Suffolk
Mrs T's Fish And Chips Fire fighters tackling a blaze at Mrs T's fish and chip shop. One has a water hose on the building, Mrs T's Fish And Chips
Fifty firefighters were called to the fire in May 2023

Owners of a fish and chip that was destroyed by a large fire more than a year and a half ago said it will reopen soon despite a "lot of setbacks".

Mrs T's, in Blackshore Quay, Southwold, Suffolk, caught fire, in May 2023, when several gas cylinders exploded by the Sole Bay Fish Company, next door.

The business is currently being rebuilt and it is due to start up its fryers again in the spring.

A spokesperson for the company said the work was now going quicker than they thought and despite the challenges "we've managed to get through it, stronger".

Mrs T's Fish And Chips A burnt out shell of a business, showing charred wood, smoke damaged items, and ash. Mrs T's Fish And Chips
A fire totally gutted the property in May 2023

Work to demolish the building started in September 2023, a new base was put down later that year, new steels were erected in August 2024, and the full rebuild started in October.

The demolition was done by friends and family, with protective apparatus donated by customers.

"The plans for the new build took a lot longer than expected because we couldn't get the steel - that was the biggest hold up, it put us a good six months behind", the spokesperson said.

Mrs T's Fish And Chips The inside of a new building, show brickwork, a window, a metal steel frame, a roof and a white door to the left. Mrs T's Fish And Chips
The new building has now been constructed

It has now been framed with black wood to make it look like "it's never been away".

"We have also had a lot of setbacks, but we've managed to get through it, stronger," the spokesperson added.

They said the business hoped to reopen in the spring, as most of the structure had now been constructed.

"Things are moving in the right direction and moving a lot quicker now", they added.

Mrs T's Fish And Chips A concrete base of a business, showing a turn out metal structure, two people standing by it, a wet concrete. The sky is blue in the building, and buildings behind the structure, in the distance. Mrs T's Fish And Chips
A new base was put down for the new building in late 2023

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said an electrical fault caused the blaze, which damaged two restaurants and fishermen's huts.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

More on this story