By Hayley Robinson

A cricket pavilion fire has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.

At least 20 firefighters from Sittingbourne, Sheppey and Teynham were called to Gore Court Cricket Club’s pavilion in London Road, Sittingbourne, just before 11am on Saturday, January 8.

It took them just more than an hour to tackle the flames, with crews wearing breathing apparatus.

Sittingbourne watch manager Kevin Ford said: "The main area affected was the boiler room and the fire caused a lot of damage to that room and the roof. There was also smoke and other damage to the main bar area.

"The cause is being investigated as we’re not sure if the fire started in the roof space and spread to the boiler room or if it started in the boiler room and spread to the roof.

"Nobody was inside but there were lots of old pictures which the crews removed."

Due to the extensive roof damage, tarpaulins were fitted to make it weatherproof. As a result, the crews did not leave until just before 3pm.

The damage could cost more than £30,000 to repair.