FIRE has wrecked the interior of a Horsell convenience store, just two weeks after a new owner took it over.

Costcutter, which also runs the village post office, will be shut for at least four weeks after around £30,000 of damage was caused on Friday evening last week.

Families living in flats above the row of shops in High Street were alerted to the blaze by a loud bang and an alarm bell sounding at about 10pm.

They left their homes to find black smoke billowing through the shutters at the front of the shop. Six fire engines were sent to deal with the incident.

The new owner, Shan Selvakumar, said the fire was caused by an electrical fault in a cooler fridge containing sandwiches and dairy products.

“I was in the shop until 9.20pm,” said Shan, who lives in Guildford. “When I got home, there was a message from the alarm centre telling me to go straight back.

“Fire engines were there when I arrived. It was a small fire in a fridge, but most of the stock has been damaged and will have to be thrown away. There is a lot of smoke and heat damage to the shop and everything will have to be gutted and refitted.”

He said friends from as far away as Manchester arrived over the weekend to help clear out the store. “There were 10 or 11 people working with me on Sunday,” he said. “We have also had a lot of offers of help from people in the village, and they brought coffee round for us.

“I think we will have to be closed for four to six weeks to redecorate, install new equipment and fittings and restock.”

For the full story, get the 30 July edition of the News & Mail