A127 Alton Garden Centre restaurant damaged in fire - photos

Alton Garden Centre, located just off the A127, in Wickford was subject to the major fire at 9.29pm last night.

At least nine crews were in attendance where the first floor of the two-storey garden centre, was completely alight.

It took more than two hours to put the fire out, and there now will be an investigation into the cause.

Police at the scene (Image: Newsquest)

Derek Bunker, managing director of Alton Garden Centre, who started this business 51 years ago, has confirmed they were subject to the fire and told BBC Essex the restaurant won't be open for some time.

• READ MORE: Confirmed: Popular Alton Garden Centre damaged by major fire

Photos from the scene show the damage to the restaurant, which appear to show the fire ripped through a wall.

The fire damage at the restaurant (Image: Newsquest)

There is also a lot of smoke damage in the store.

Crews had extinguished the fire by 11.49pm and one crew remained at the scene into the morning the dampen down and check for hotspots.

Mark Elliott, station manager, said: “Crews did a fantastic job and worked really hard to contain the fire to the mezzanine floor above the kitchen.”

While the restaurant will be closed for a while, the rest of the garden centre "should be up and running by the weekend", Mr Bunker has confirmed.