Repairs to fire-damaged church to take three years

Repairs to a church that was badly damaged by fire could take up to three years to complete, a benefice administrator said.

Norfolk Fire Service was called to St John's Church in Harleston on 1 October after plumes of smoke escaped through the roof and windows.

An investigation found a faulty electrical item in the kitchen had started the fire, which caused widespread smoke and heat damage to the building.

Helen Orford, the benefice administrator, said: "From the outside it doesn't look too bad but once you actually see inside, like the plaster has come off the wall, there's a lot of internal damage."

"Inside is very black, smelly, mould is coming through the water from the fire brigade. It just smells and is in a very bad state.

"It isn't as bad as what it could have been but it's bad. The building is still standing thankfully... it can be repaired [but] it will just take time," she added.

The church anticipates the repair costs will be funded by its insurance.

The worst-damaged items have been removed and plastic sheeting covers the ridge of the building where firefighters had to take away slates.

On Tuesday the pews were removed, as well as the lectern and other furniture that could be cleaned or repaired.

The church's large stained glass window has also been removed and taken to a specialist for restoration, although Ms Orford said one window near the kitchen had been "blown out" and destroyed by the heat of the fire.

The church's services have been held at St Thomas More on Jays Green in Harleston, and the Waveney Food Bank, which was held at the site, has been relocated into the Methodist Church on London Road.

Matthew Scade, the food bank's project manager, said when he saw the fire, "I knew all our stock was gone".

"We lost everything, even down to the shelving and the [electronic] tablets that the volunteers use to be able to distribute [food] they've all gone," he added.

Jemma Jackson, the food bank's operation's manager, said: "When we heard the severity of the fire and the loss of all our stock, all the cleaning stuff, all the nappies, everything else that we give out to our clients, we were absolutely devastated."

The East of England Co-operative Society donated £1,000 to help replenish stocks.

Laura Rawnsley, the head of food for East of England Co-op, was on a routine visit to the store within days of the fire, when staff asked her if the business could help.

She said: "The store team asked what we could do to support them, as they live locally and we managed to replenish what they lost."

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.