The owners of an award-winning village pub devastated by a blaze say they're overwhelmed by support they've had from the public. The fire started in the early hours of Saturday at the Tap & Run, the pub belonging to England cricket star Stuart Broad and former Nottinghamshire seamer Harry Gurney.
Flames were seen shooting from the roof and first floor of the building in Upper Broughton, on the Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire border. Eight fire engines, an aerial ladder platform, water carrier, command support vehicle attended the incident which was reported at 3.22am.
In a post on social media, the owners of the gastropub said: "We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support we have received over the last couple of days and want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts. The kind messages and offers of help have been so heartwarming it really has helped us get through a very tough few days.
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"Unfortunately the damage is quite substantial so it’s going to be a long road ahead to get the Tap & Run back to its former glory. But rest assured we will do it and come back bigger and better than before."
Aerial photos taken by Terry Harris of @abovebritain show the full catastrophic extent of the damage throughout the property in Main Road. The majority of the tiled roof has gone and the interior has been completely gutted by fire. Only the adjoining conservatory appears to have survived.
More than 1,400 supporters reacted to the post on Facebook. One said: "Unbelievable, from the road you cannot see the extent of the damage at all. Devastating to lose such a beautiful place and such a lovely food venue but great to read how positive you are, so phoenix and ashes and all that. We look forward to your return."
Another said: "Absolutely heartbreaking. Gutted to hear this, we love visiting the Tap and Run. Hopefully the community can pull together and help wherever needed. Pleased you’re going to bounce back after this devastating bump in your road. Can’t wait to be able to visit again soon."
The blaze came as Broad was preparing to face New Zealand on day two of the second Test at Trent Bridge. Posting on Twitter hours after the fire he said: "I couldn't believe the news this morning. Not sure I still can. Our wonderful pub caught fire in the early hours.
"Thankfully no one was hurt, the Nottinghamshire fire service were incredible in their efforts and thank you to the villagers for the wonderful support and sorry for the disruption. Thinking of our awesome staff today, every single person there has created a special pub for the community. It hurts right now but we will come out the other side."
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze is believed to be accidental. Due to the extent of the fire, smoke and water damage, the cause cannot be narrowed down any further and an investigation is now closed.
