A FIRE which began in a basement tore through a chip shop and a neighbouring Chinese takeaway in Borstal.

The blaze broke out in the basement of the Borstal Fish and Chip shop, in Borstal Street, and spread through to the Happy Valley Chinese outlet on Monday afternoon.

Fire crews were called to the scene at 4pm, and battled with the flames until about 8pm.

A fire and rescue spokesman said: "The tricky thing was that the fire was in an area between the ground floor and the basement.

"This pocket of air had no direct access so we had to smash through the floor to put out the flames.

"The fire was caused by an electrical fault. It was a really hard job but we managed to do it."

Everyone at the scene was safe and no-one was hurt in the blaze but it caused an electrical surge that made all the neighbouring properties lose their power for a while.

A resident who lives nearby said: "The chippy has just undergone major refurbishment, it’s such a shame that it’s been ruined by a fire.

"We all smelt smoke and rushed out. The fire brigade was here in minutes. They were so brave and did an amazing job."

The premises above the Chinese takeaway was a family home.