Folkestone Morrisons supermarket in flames

A supermarket roof has collapsed after being engulfed in flames.

Fifty firefighters were called out to Morrisons in Folkestone, Kent, at 07:30 GMT after a fire in the cafe kitchen spread throughout the store.

The blaze started in a deep fat fryer 30 minutes after the supermarket opened and had affected three quarters of the building, the fire service said.

The store was evacuated and a witness said tiles were falling from the roof. There are no reported casualties.

The roof was completely destroyed

Brad Hodgkinson, a 21-year-old builder from Hawkinge, filmed the flames at the Cheriton Road store and said: "There are quite a few firefighters there as well as an ambulance and the road has been closed in both directions.

"The roof collapsed and tiles were also falling off the roof.

"We could feel the heat from the fire.

"We could see a few members of staff, who had been evacuated, in the car park."

The fire service said the plume of smoke from the blaze had "reduced considerably" and the firefighting operation has been being scaled down.

Those in properties nearby are no longer being advised to keep doors and windows closed.

About three-quarters of the building has been affected by the blaze, Kent Fire and Rescue Service said

A spokeswoman for Morrisons - the fourth largest supermarket chain in the UK - said: "All colleagues and customers have been evacuated from the store safely.

"We are working on a plan to support our customers including bus services to our Dover store and home delivery."

Firefighters launched a drone to assess the incident from above after the roof collapsed.

A nearby leisure centre was also evacuated as a precaution, but those asked to leave the building have now been allowed back inside.