Gloucestershire pub fire exposes suspected cannabis farm

A fire broke out in a Cerney Wick pub kitchen on Sunday evening

A fire at a pub exposed a suspected cannabis farm in a flat above the establishment.

The blaze broke out in a Cerney Wick pub kitchen on Sunday evening when one of the refrigerators caught fire.

After the flames were put out, the Crown Inn was inspected for damage and a suspected cannabis farm was found in a privately owned flat above the pub.

Two men, aged 42 and 45, were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the production of a Class B drug.

The fire caused "substantial damage" to the pub kitchen

One of the men was issued with a conditional caution to attend a drugs dependency course and the other was released with no further action.

The Crown Inn said the property had no connection with the pub, its management or its staff.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed the fire was not being treated as suspicious.

'Disaster'

Foyez Rahman, manager of the Crown Inn's pop-up kitchen Asha Indian Kitchen, said: "We were devastated to find our kitchen had burned down."

"Our team are working tirelessly to come back from this disaster by exploring new possibilities of a temporary outside pop-up pub," they added.

A spokesperson for The Crown Inn said: "Fortunately, the fire crews were on scene within minutes and swiftly tackled the flames.

"Sadly, this has left substantial damage but we are pleased that nobody was injured during the incident."