by Joe Walker

A disused pub in Canterbury was completely destroyed after a fire ripped through it in the early hours of this morning.

More than 30 firefighters were called into action when the Mill House Tavern in St Martin’s Hill went up in flames at 1.30am.

The pub – a former favourite of soldiers at Howe Barracks – was gutted by the blaze, which spread through both floors and the roof.

Four crews and a specialist height vehicle helped tackle the flames, which took more than two hours to put out.

It is not yet known what caused the fire, but crews confirmed no one was hurt.

Amateur photographer Dave Topman raced to the scene at 2.30am after receiving a call from his cabbie son.

He said: “He rang me and said the pub was on fire so I went down there. The entire building was ablaze.

“Just moments after I started taking photos the roof collapsed. It looked like the whole place was going to be gutted by the fire.”

The pub is set to be turned into a 78-bedroom nursing home by Essex-based Runwood Homes.

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