City centre hotel evacuated after coffee shop fire

The fire service said crews worked floor-by-floor to clear smoke from the six-storey building

Guests were forced to leave a six-storey city centre hotel after a fire broke out in a coffee shop on the ground floor

Seven fire engines were sent to Costa Coffee under the Premier Inn on Isambard Brunel Road, Portsmouth, shortly after 14:00 GMT on Wednesday.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service said due to the large amount of smoke spreading throughout the hotel it was fully evacuated while firefighters worked floor-by-floor to clear the smoke.

Crews left the scene shortly after 21:00 and road closures on Greetham Street, Stanhope Road and Station Road were lifted. The fire service said no injuries were reported and the fire was believed to have been started accidental.

It took several hours for firefighters to clear the smoke from the building

The Premier Inn said about 65 guests had been set to stay at the hotel on Wednesday - all were booked into to other Premier Inns in the city.

A spokeswoman said: "We thank our teams for their professionalism in moving swiftly to make sure everyone had an alternative hotel to go to.

"We're continuing to out-book guests arriving today as we await clearance from the fire brigade as to when we can re-open."