Hollingbourne: Huge fire engulfs centuries-old village pub

Firefighters have been tackling a huge blaze that engulfed a centuries-old village pub during the night.

The fire started at about 20:20 BST on Sunday at The Dirty Habit pub in Upper Street, Hollingbourne, near Maidstone.

Intense flames could be seen through the first-floor windows of the building, which was said to have been used by Canterbury pilgrims.

Residents from nearby properties were evacuated but no injuries have been reported, Kent Fire and Rescue said.

Elite Pubs, which owns a number of venues in Kent and Sussex including The Dirty Habit, said it was "truly devastated" and there had been "significant damage".

In a statement, the group said: "The Elite Pubs family is truly devastated.

"Shortly after 20:00, a fire broke out at our 11th Century pub. Unfortunately, there has been significant damage.

"Each and every one of our pubs is extremely special to us, but the history of this one holds a very special place."

It said all its staff and customers were evacuated "swiftly" and accounted for after the fire began.

It added: "We'll pick ourselves up from this and return stronger than ever before and the pub will be restored to its former glory.

"We ask all of our customers to remain patient as we come to terms with the event and re-arrange bookings."

Just after 10:00 on Monday, the fire service said three fire engines and a height vehicle were still working to extinguish the blaze.

It has asked people to avoid the area and said Upper Street, Hollingbourne Hill and Pilgrims Way were all set to stay closed for several hours.

Meanwhile, in Ramsgate, six fire engines were sent to the scene of another fire, at a derelict pub in Pegwell Road.

The fire started at about 21:00 on Sunday. There were no reported injuries.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].