A DISCARDED cigarette started a fire at a well known St Neots pub yesterday (Monday).

A DISCARDED cigarette started a fire at a well known St Neots pub yesterday (Monday).

Crews from St Neots and Papworth attended The Priory on the Market Square at around 4.35pm, after receiving numerous 999 calls.

They arrived to find the front of the pub was on fire, with smoke and flames visible from the road.

After tackling the fire with hose reel and CO2 extinguishers, they had to cut away sections of the fascia of the building to ensure that the fire had not spread. The electricity board were called to isolate the electrics.

The cause of the fire was accidental and caused by a cigarette.

Jon Paul Jones, watch manager at St Neots Fire Station, said: “Always make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished, and discard of it properly in an ashtray or bucket of water or sand.

“Even if you think it is out, a cigarette can easily be hot enough to start a fire if not disposed of properly.”