THE owners of an award-winning hotel in the Ribble Valley were today counting the cost of a fire which swept through part of the building early today.

Flames badly damaged a two-storey annexe of the Gibbon Bridge Hotel, near Chipping, at about 12.45am.

The fire is believed to have started after an electrical fault in a first floor bedroom and up to eight bedrooms have been affected. Insurance assessors were due to assess the cost of the fire today.

Firefighters from Longridge and Fulwood were called to the scene initially, and crews from Clitheroe, Garstang and Preston took over through the night.

Proprietor Janet Simpson said: "It was fairly bad. It has taken quite a lot of rooms out.

"You are looking at the stars from some because it has taken the roof off.

"The fire was noticed by the night porter after an alarm went off. Two guests who were staying in that wing of the hotel were evacuated from their rooms."

The hotel is a popular venue for wedding receptions and other functions but Janet said the part of the hotel used for such events was not affected.

But she added that the hotel was fully booked tonight and tomorrow night and was busy for the next few weeks.

She said that some guests who had bookings might be forced to cancel but that the hotel would contact them.

The wing affected by the fire was built nine years ago.

The hotel has won a host of awards, including the Best Large Hotel category in the North West Britain in Bloom competition three years running.

In 1997 it won the Haines Watts Tourism in Marketing award in the United Utilities North West Tourism Awards.

It has also won a Catey - the catering industry's equivalent of an Oscar - and is a former winner of the Lancashire Life County Cuisine Awards.

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