CUSTOMERS were forced to flee when a blaze broke out at The Harrow Inn in Lidsing on Saturday evening.

An alarm alerted landlord Christopher Orme and his partner Lisa to the fire, which broke out in a chimney at 6.30pm.

It quickly spread to the roof of the building, which dates back to 1786.

Fire crews from Medway, Strood, Gillingham, Maidstone and Thameside raced to the scene, using vehicles with snowchains fitted.

They spent three hours extinguishing the fire and damping down.

The operation was hampered by the weather conditions with the water used to douse the flames freezing on contact with the ground.

A crew member said: "The roads were really icy.

"The pumps had snow chains on their wheels so they were all right going down the country lanes but the height vehicle had to go the long way around.

"The water we were using to put out the flames was turning to ice as soon as it hit the ground, making the road conditions even worse."

The Harrow, which is also a popular restaurant with its own taxi service, has put a notice on its website which reads: "Due to unforeseen circumstances we are closed until further notice. We will get back to normal as soon as possible."

In a statement issued through Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Mr Orme said he was grateful he had followed advice to fit smoke alarms in the building.

He said: "When we heard the alarm sounding and realised there was a fire, we quickly got out of the building and called the fire service. I dread to think what may have happened without the alarms.

"Our business has had to close temporarily, which is unfortunate, given the time of year, but the system we had in place meant thankfully no one was injured and hopefully we will be able to reopen in a few months."