Man seriously injured as fire destroys village pub

Bedfordshire Police said a fire broke out shortly after it responded to a concern for welfare

A man is in hospital with serious injuries after a fire destroyed a village pub.

Bedfordshire Police was called to the Chequers Inn in Wootton, near Bedford, at about 10:15 BST following reports of concern for a man's welfare and nearby residents were evacuated.

A fire broke out shortly after police arrived, and the man was taken to hospital. Emergency services remained on Hall End Road, which was closed.

BBC reporter Tony Fisher, at the scene, said: "The pub is absolutely gone. A chimney is still standing, but not a lot else."

A director of the company that owns the pub's freehold was concerned about evacuated residents

Forensic teams were at the scene on Friday night

David Palmer, director of the company that owns the pub's freehold, said he was called to the village after being told it was on fire.

At 17:47, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said on social media it was still in attendance at the scene and various road closures remained in place.

Mr Palmer added he had not yet received full details but was mainly concerned about the welfare of residents.

"There's a lot of local people who can't get into their homes. They might have animals or dogs - whatever. That's the principal concern," he said.

East of England Ambulance Service posted on Facebook that it was supporting Bedfordshire Police and the fire service at the incident.

Emergency services were still at the scene at about 18:45 on Friday