An owner of a bingo club has vowed to keep the club open after part of the building was hit by fire. The two adjourning belonging to Crown Bingo in Hudson Street, Tyne Dock, South Shields, were destroyed when a blaze ripped through the 150-year-old properties at lunchtime last Thursday.

The fire is believed to have been sparked by gas burners being used by workmen to carry out weatherproofing on the roof.

One resident who lives nearby said: "I was sitting in the garden when I saw lots of smoke coming from what I thought was the Metro station.

"I came running out with my phone, but as I did so, I could hear the fire engines. Then I saw the bingo hall on fire.

"Two fire engines turned up first, then another one turned up 20 minutes later.

"It's such a shame what's happened, as the people who own it are lovely."

The alarm was raised at about 12.20pm on Thursday. Police were called and set up a cordon around the building.

Four crews were needed to tackle the flames which spread through the outbuildings and firefighters spent the best part of an hour fighting the blaze.

The road between Hudson Street and Boldon Lane was closed to traffic over fears there were canisters in a nearby building, which could explode.

Watched on by onlookers, crews chipped away part of the roof of one of the buildings to get water into the property.

Crew manager Derek Chadkirk said: "There were two outbuildings adjoining the bingo hall where both of the roofs were on fire.

"Workmen had been doing some weatherproofing on the roof with gas burners and somehow it caught alight."

The outbuildings were destroyed and some damage was caused to the main building.

At the time there were only a few people in the building, and all were out by the time fire brigade arrived.

Neighbourhood Inspector Peter Sutton said: "Road closures were put in place as there were concerns they may have been inflammable canisters in a nearby building. At no point was the public in any danger."

The bingo halls is housed in the main building and owner Tom Hearn today said the hall is very much open for business. In fact bingo continued shortly after the fire brigade finished fighting the flames that had engulfed the outbuildings.

Having owned the building since 1961 Mr Hearn commented: "Since I have owned the building, there is never a time, that I can remember, we have ever closed. Not for anything.

"It is also the first major incident we have had here.

"The buildings have been devastated, but the bingo hall is fine.

"I have had a number of calls from people wondering whether we are open, and yes, we are open as usual."

The building was formerly a British Rail school built to provide education for the children of the workers living in the station cottages nearby, as well as the children of dock workers.

After closing for a brief period it was opened as a cinema and then a dance hall. From 1961 the building was used as a bingo club.