Fire crews have been battling to save an historic pub in Cheshire.
A blaze engulfed The Smoker, a 400-year-old thatched pub on Chester Road, in Plumley village, Knutsford, earlier.
Six fire engines were at the scene this evening, and the pub was evacuated.
The area was said to have been thick with smoke and police closed both sides of the road.
Eyewitness Shaun Gee told the : “As we approached the traffic lights it was clear to see smoke, however it wasn’t clear which building it was.
“The lights turned to red and at that point the flames just broke the roof.”
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to the area at about 17:30 BST and were making “good progress”.
Crews had created a fire break to help stop the blaze from spreading, a spokesman said.
The Smoker underwent a £750,000 refurbishment in 2018.
It first opened its doors in 1597, the year when William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ was first performed, and the King James Bible was published for the first time in London.
The thatched coaching inn is the only pub in Britain called The Smoker.