Cafe partially collapses as fire engulfs building

About 50 firefighters have tackled a fire at a cafe in Dorchester which has caused the building to partially collapse.

The fire broke out at The Gorge Cafe in South Street shortly after 03:30 GMT.

The blaze had also spread into the roof spaces of neighbouring properties, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

No injuries have been reported, but a number of local residents were moved to a safe place and those living nearby urged to keep windows and doors closed in the early hours due to the large amount of smoke.

The fire swept through cafe in South Street and spread to neighbouring buildings

The fire service said electricity supplies had been cut to South Street and parts of Trinity Street which both remain closed.

A spokesperson said: "There is also an impact on water pressure, so we are using water carriers to try to minimise this.

"We expect this incident to affect the town centre for some hours, and apologise for the inconvenience caused."

The cause of the fire is not yet known but an investigation will be carried out when it is safe to do so, the fire service added.

The cafe on South Street has partially collapsed amid the blaze

The building has a stone plaque on its front wall in the centre of the first floor honouring Thomas Hardy.

It stated the novelist and poet trained at the building as an apprentice architect to John Hicks between 1856-1862.

The Thomas Hardy Society said it was "shocked and saddened" after hearing of the fire.

Hardy designed and built his home Max Gate, just south of the town, and lived there from 1885 until his death in 1928.

It is not yet known if the plaque survived the fire and the building's collapse.

The stone plaque was inserted in the wall on the first floor of the cafe