'We will come back stronger, bigger and better,' says Magpie Cafe head chef

The popular cafe endured a horror bank holiday weekend as two separate fires in less than 24 hours hit the building.

Head chef Paul Gildroy has said he is "heartbroken" and "gutted" by the events: "Those words don’t even touch how we feel,” he said. “No-one ever thinks they are going to go through this.”

Paul said that staff have been left overwhelmed by the support they have received from the fire service and local people: “Thank you to the fire service for all they have done and thank you to everyone on Pier Road, it is immense how all of you have rallied around to help us in our time of need, your actions have truly touched my heart,” Paul said.

“We are lucky that we have a lot of good people around us.”

Expressing his thanks to the staff at The Magpie, he added: “I vow to do my best to get us up and running as soon as humanly possible. Together we will rebuild and come back stronger, bigger and better.”

He added that it is "too soon" to say when they will return but that they will keep people updated.

The business employs around 90 staff in total.