Hundreds of New Year's Eve revellers evacuated from a west London pub before it was 'gutted' by fire

Hundreds of New Year's Eve revellers were evacuated from a pub before it was largely "gutted" by a fire.

Around 340 customers and 12 staff fled The Aeronaut pub in Acton, west London, when the blaze broke out at around 12.30am on Sunday.

Acton police station, next door to the pub in High Street, was also evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Musician Matt Blair said he was rescued from the roof of the building after his performance with double-act Rayguns Look Real Enough.

He tweeted: "We're fine but 2017 has already got off to a bad start. One of our favourite venues that we just played burned down. Everyone is fine.

"Manic. We were upstairs, had to get on a roof area and luckily found a ladder we could climb down. Scary stuff.

"It was pretty scary and shocking. Physically we're all fine. Just a bit shocked and sad."

The pub was hosting a "circus spectacular" with 10 separate acts to see in 2017.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it rescued six people from the first floor flat while 72 firefighters worked to dampen the flames, which were brought under control by 5am.

A spokesman said: "Half of the ground floor of the building is alight. The first and second floors, including the roof of the three-storey building, have been gutted by the fire."

Scotland Yard said three officers from the station were treated for smoke inhalation after they rushed to help.

The Metropolitan Police said the cause was not believed to be suspicious while the LFB said it was unknown.

Mr Blair said he had heard "some idiot" used a candle to light a branch on a Christmas tree but he was unable to verify this.

The London Ambulance Service said it took five patients to hospital suffering from "minor injuries".