Fire at Betley Court manor house Published duration 23 August 2019

image copyright Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service image caption Betley Court is Grade II listed

A fire has torn through a Grade II listed manor house in Staffordshire.

The blaze at Betley Court, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, was reported at 16:03 BST and six crews were sent to tackle it.

The fire service said it wasn't aware of any reported injuries but an ambulance had been sent to to the scene.

The owner of the building and residents of flats within the property have "all been accounted for".

Posting about the fire on social media, the fire officers said the main road in Betley had been closed while work to tackle the fire continued.

Speaking at the scene, chairman of the parish council Robert Bettley-Smith said the owner Prof Nigel Brown had to evacuate the building.

"It's absolutely terrible," Mr Bettley-Smith said.

"It's been their life's work to restore the building and turn it into flats and apartments, so it's absolutely heart-breaking what's happened here.

"The building itself is badly destroyed, possibly a total loss."

image copyright David Steele/Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service image caption Photographs from the scene appear to show the fire in the roof of the building

Mr Bettley-Smith said he believed there are "a number of apartments" within the building and all 20 residents have "been accounted for".

"We are pulling together as a community to do the best we can for the people affected by the fire," he said.

Resident Matt Ball said: "It's just heart-breaking. I lived here since I was born and it's the last thing you want to see happen."