A popular seafront bar and restaurant in Kent has been damaged by a blaze that broke out in the early hours of this morning (Wednesday).

Fire crews from Westgate-on-Sea, Margate and Thanet (Westwood) stations were called to The Minnis in Hengist Road, Birchington, at around 12.30am.

The fire is understood to have started in a ground floor kitchen, around half of which has been destroyed.

The remainder of the ground floor suffered smoke and heat damage but firefighters managed to stop the flames spreading to an upper level.

A spokesperson for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: "We'd like to praise the actions of our three teams who worked quickly in difficult conditions to save a large part of the building."

The fire was extinguished just before 2am, although crews continued to damp down and look for potential 'hot spots' at the scene for some time.

Kent Police were also called to the restaurant but a spokesperson confirmed the fire is not being treated as suspicious.

Fire assessors are expected to visit the property today as investigations into the cause of the blaze continue.

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