Workmen move in to fire damaged Nailsea estate agents

Work has started rebuilding the estate agents at Nailsea High Street which was gutted by fire in November 2011.

Staff at Heritage estate agents were forced to move across the road to a temporary office at 104 High Street.

Work is expected to take between nine to 12 weeks and staff are hoping to move back after the August summer holidays.

The fire caused extensive damage damage to the three-storey Victorian building which is going to cost more than £250,000 to repair.

Director Marcus Lifton said: "The building will need a new roof and floors and everything that escaped the fire was smoke damaged."

Staff are looking forward to moving back as soon as work is completed.

The next door Co-op funeral directors escaped with minor damage to its front entrance.

The fire is believed to have started in an electrical box which housed the hub for the company computer system and acted as back-up for the Clevedon, Portishead and Yatton branches.

• A small fire burned out a wooden playhouse in the grounds of Kingshill CofE Primary School this week. Police say they are treating the incident which happen between 8pm-7am on Monday and Tuesday, June 25-26 as 'suspicious'. Anyone with information is asked to contact Nailsea police by dialling 101. Eariler this year a children's swing at nearby Pound Lane linear park was also found burned out. This arson attack during the February half-term holidays caused thousands of pounds of damage to the basket swing.