Diners were forced to abandon their meals when fire broke out in an Addingham pub last week.

Customers were evacuated from The Fleece Inn on Main Street last Thursday evening as the tap room of the award winning pub and restaurant filled with smoke.

Fire crews rushed to the scene and battled for over two hours to contain the blaze, which started in the loft. At one point firefighters were rushed back in to the pub amid fears that the fire was spreading into an adjoining building.

One firefighter at the scene said: "We have to go back in. The fire might be crossing the partition wall and spreading into the shop next door."

Head chef Matthew Brown raised the alarm shortly after 7pm when he spotted smoke coming from the roof.

Mr Brown, 30, said: "I was in the kitchen and I smelt smoke so I came out here to have a look and saw smoke billowing out of the roof."

Landlord Chris Monkman, who was dining in Bradford when the blaze started, praised the handling of the incident by his staff. He said that the living accomodation upstairs had suffered considerable damage but added that the pub would not need to close as a result of the fire.

He said: "I was in the Kashmir in Bradford when the waiter came running over saying 'Mr Monkman, Mr Monkman you have an urgent phone call!

"When I had left one of my sons was asleep in the back room. I just thought 'Oh my god!' It's a mess but the main thing is that nobody was hurt. The pub is fine and can open as usual."

Incident Commander Steve Rhodes said: "There has been a small fire in the roof void. Crews from Ilkley, Silsden and Stanningley attended the incident."

He added that the cause of the fire was under investigation, although it is now suspected to have started in a chimney.