FIRE badly damaged the top floor and roof of a disused psychiatric hospital at Knaphill in the early hours of Sunday.

Firefighters were at The Meadows in Bagshot Road for more than 12 hours after the blaze was reported at 12.40am.

Extra help was called for when the first crew arrived to find flames coming out of the roof. Four fire engines and an aerial ladder appliance – including an engine from Fleet Fire Station in Hampshire – dealt with the blaze.

A total of 10 appliances were at the site in shifts until after 1pm, as relief crews took over to damp down burnt areas in the building.

A spokesman for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said the roof of the building was badly damaged. “Crews tackled the fire, damped down the roof space and left the scene at around 1pm.”

Surrey Police officers closed the A322 Bagshot Road while firefighters dealt with the incident. “An investigation to establish the circumstances of the fire remains ongoing,” said a force spokesman.

The Meadows was built in the mid-1990s to provide residential care for over-65s with mental health conditions following the closure of Brookwood Hospital. It was shut around 10 years ago, after its residents were moved to smaller “care in the community” homes.

The site was sold by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in May 2017 for £2,925,000. The building was boarded up and has since become increasingly derelict.

In April last year, a plan to build a 54-bedroom care home on the land was refused by Woking Borough Council. The applicant, Churchgate Woking Ltd, is currently appealing against the decision.