THOUSANDS of sticky buns and bread loaves went up in smoke following a fire in the back room of a Chatburn bakery.

Baker Nick Rumboll was left counting the cost of the pre-Christmas blaze, which is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault.

Fire broke out at Wilson's Bakery, Bridge Road, in the early hours of yesterday, shortly after night staff clocked off.

They had baked thousands of loaves, buns and pies for the coming day's trading at the bakery and a sister shop in Clitheroe.

Firefighters from Clitheroe were alerted at 5.45am after a day shift worker spotted smoke billowing from the back of the property.

The blaze gutted the room and damaged machinery.

More than 3,000 teacakes, 50 loaves and 300 pies were destroyed, and the popular bakers will be closed for at least two days. Nick Rumboll said: "We don't know what caused the fire, but it may have been an electrical fault.

"It's too early to say how much the fire has cost, because I'm waiting for insurance assessors to survey the damage.

"This couldn't have come at a worse time, being prior to Christmas."

Nick said it would be business as usual at his other outlet in Well Terrace, Clitheroe, which is also called Wilson's, and he hoped the Chatburn shop, which he has owned for eight years, would re-open in a couple of days.

He employs three people in the shop and four in the bakery.

Clitheroe Fire Station officer Dave McGrath said: "We haven't established the cause of fire yet.

"It may have been caused by an electrical fault and we are definitely not treating it as suspicious."