by Jenni Horn

A popular pub has been damaged after a blaze broke out in the kitchen.

The Barge in Layfield Road Gillingham was forced to cancel its weekly quiz night after the fire on Sunday morning.

Firefighters were called to the property at 11.46am, before the pub had opened. Two crews attended and spent two hours at the scene.

The fire started in the corner of the kitchen on the ground floor and spread to the door and the roof above.

A spokesman for Medway fire station said: "The fire damage was contained to the kitchen but the rest of the pub was heavily smoke-logged.

"The door of the kitchen was open so the smoke filled the rest of the pub and spread into the flat above."

The owners of the pub, who were in the upstairs accommodation when the fire broke out, managed to escape without being hurt. The cause of the fire is unknown.

The pub holds regular live music events and a quizzes. On Sunday it posted on its website "Due to circumstances beyond our control, tonight's quiz night is cancelled. Apologies for the inconvenience."