Adnams hope to have fire hit pub open by Christmas

Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing Picture: ADNAMS Archant

The owners of the Ship Inn pub - which was devastated by fire last week - have said they intend to have it open by Christmas.

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Firefighters at the Ship Inn last week Picture: ADNAMS Firefighters at the Ship Inn last week Picture: ADNAMS

The Grade II listed pub in Levington was hit by a fire which destroyed its thatch roof on March 26.

The fire was first spotted by a passer-by alerting the staff at the pub who were then able to evacuate and call Suffolk Fire and Rescue.

It took several hours for the 40 firefighters sent to deal with the blaze to put out the remaining hotspots and remove the smouldering thatch.

Adnams have now provided an update on the pub’s condition and have outlined its plans for the both the future of the site and the staff who worked there.

“Fortunately, the structure of the building appears at this point to be sound,” said a spokesman for Adnams, “the areas under tiled roof remain unaffected.

“All our staff are safe and well and the team at Adnams are currently working with all of them to help find alternative employment until The Ship reopens and they can continue with their roles.

“The clean-up is already underway and although it’s still very early to tell with certainty, we hope to be open again by Christmas this year.”

The company also confirmed that it would be restoring the thatch to the pub roof in line with its listed building status.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to the Suffolk and Essex Fire and Rescue Services for their outstanding work and also to local residents and businesses for their messages of support,” said the spokesman.

“While the restoration work takes place, we’d like to thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. We aim to minimise any disruption and get our much-loved pub open again for the local community and visitors alike.

The update comes only a day after Suffolk Fire and Rescue said that it was focusing its investigations on the chimney and wood burner at the pub.

It’s not the first time that the pub has been hit by fire with fires having broken out at the site in 2001 and the late 1980s.