FIREFIGHTERS were today probing the cause of two major blazes in East Lancashire that destroyed a shop and caused £50,000 in damaged at a warehouse.

Crews were called to Colne Carpets, Skipton Road, Colne, shortly before 11pm on Saturday when flames were spotted from the window of the store.

The fire destroyed hundreds of carpets inside the single-storey building, leaving owner Johnny Thornley counting the cost to his business, which has been in his family for 19 years.

Mr Thornley said the fire was a blow but that he was determined to carry on.

He said: "The shop has been totally destroyed, although I don't yet know

what the cost of the damage is. I am hoping to get some alternative premises and carry on trading because this is a very successful business.

"This is a terrible thing to happen but I am determined to carry on and get stock re-ordered and make sure customers get their carpets."

In a second blaze, around 30 firefighters tackled a blaze at Turkington's warehouse in Station Road, Padiham, at about 3.30pm yesterday. Flames badly damaged a storage unit containing fancy goods.

Fire crews were trying to contact the owners of the warehouse and were investigating the cause of the blaze, which is being treated as suspicious.

Today, police said £50,000 of damage had been caused to the Padiham factory and £25,000 of stock destroyed.

Four teenagers were seen running away from the scene along the nearby disused railway towards Memorial Park, said police.

Police said initial reports from investigators suggested there was nothing suspicious about the Colne Carpets blaze.