Owner of building destroyed in Great Yarmouth fire calls for town to get back on its feet

Phil Thompson was woken up in the middle of the night to be told his business was on fire. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Video report by ITV News Anglia's Malcolm Robertson

The owner of a bowling alley and indoor market in Great Yarmouth destroyed by fire earlier today has made an emotional plea to the local council to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.

The Regent Superbowl was engulfed by flames just after 3 o'clock and it took firefighters seven hours to bring the blaze under control.

Several roads through the town centre will be closed while the clear-up continues, leading to concerns it could hit the tourism trade at a busy time of year.

Phil Thompson took over the complex four years ago, and has called on the town to come together in the face of adversity.

"What I'd to see now is the council acting quickly to get this road open," he told ITV News Anglia.

"Millions of pounds are taken on this road every summer season and this is now going to close a lot of businesses.

"I don't want to be the one responsible for that, I want to get everything going again."

Mr Thompson also revealed he wants to re-build the property in the future and aims to get his insurance company involved immediately.

He added that his fellow traders were "devastated" by the impact of the fire and many of them were in tears when they found out the news.