Residents have been left heartbroken after a blaze tore through their historic railway station, destroying a piece of the town's heritage.

Fire crews were called to the derelict site in Romney Road, Lydd, in the early hours of yesterday morning after the building - first built in the 1800s - caught alight.

Four fire engines were sent to the scene and crews spent three hours tackling the flames, finally bringing it under control around 4.30am.

But those living in Lydd have spoken of their devastation over the loss of the special building.

Lydd Town councillor Maria Beach said: "The building was beautiful.

"It was a real important part of Lydd's heritage and it's gone.

"I know there is a lot of people in the town who are really upset after losing it.

"It was a lovely building and I think it had a lot of potential, it's just a shame it's another thing which is gone.

"I work in an old building in Lydd which is over 500-years-old and we value it."

The councillor added she feels there has been a rise in anti-social behaviour in the town, and the fire could have been another spur as the building is already plastered in graffiti.

"Only last week there were some cars damaged in Station Road," she said.

"There was also broken glass around the children's park.

"I would have thought a lot of the anti-social behaviour is by teenagers, so I would have been surprised if they were around at 2am.

"But, it may have been ignited earlier, and taken hold later on.

"Ultimately, I don't know how it happened."

Stephen Wilson, of Lydd station heritage group, says members were close to getting the building listed.

"The heritage group was going along fine, we had the council involved and were in the process of getting it listed," he said.

"The group is now in long running discussions now we have this unpleasant situation.

"In hindsight, it may be that this is a situation that may be a good one.

"My first thought when I found out about the fire was that is the end of our goal and all of our time invested into contacting the owners and network rail was wasted."

Mr Wilson spoke to a member of Kent Fire and Rescue about the structure of the building after the blaze.

He said: "He and I both thought that it appeared OK so it's something to work on. Who knows the roof could have been a replacement anyway.

"My biggest concern though is Network Rail condemning it as it is so close to the railway line to the power station."

Dominic Button, a resident in Lydd, says he was upset to find out about the fire as many were hoping to see it re-opened one day.

"I was shocked and saddened at the loss of the historical site that was well loved by not only those living in Lydd, but the Romney Marsh as well," he said.

"For years there have been campaigns and meetings with the council to get the train station reopened.

"This would create jobs and create a better link from the airport to Ashford with the train travelling to Appledore, then onto Ashford."

Mr Button, who has lived in Lydd his whole life, said he feels plans for development on the site will be accelerated following the blaze.

He said: "I think the train station will be demolished for housing, unless there's a grant or funding to save and restore it."

A spokesman at Network Rail said the company was informed of the fire just after 1.30am.

"The railway there is a freight-only route but it is still open and we needed to make sure the fire didn’t endanger the safety of the route," they said.

"The fire was reported as extinguished around 4.30am and safety checks revealed no damage to the railway."

Lydd station was built in 1881 and was closed in 1971.

It was used as a car workshop later that decade but has been derelict for years and subjected to frequent vandalism attacks.

Fire crews remained at the scene damping down the area for several hours after the blaze.

There have been no reports of injuries and the cause of the fire is not yet known.