A RESTAURANT couple have been left devastated after a fire swept through their seaside business, completely wrecking the building.

The blaze, which broke out on Monday afternoon, destroyed most of the roof of The Boathouse restaurant at Torcross, wrecked the first-floor living accommodation and severely damaged the ground-floor restaurant, as well as the roof of a neighbouring flat.

The fire, thought to be accidental and possibly linked to a log burner in the property, came just a week after owners Rob and Kate Hitchin's beachside restaurant was hit by massive storms, which sent waves smashing through windows and the front door.

At one point boatbuilder Rob had to be dragged away from the blazing building as he tried to tackle the fire armed only with a fire extinguisher.

The building was so badly damaged that the day after the fire the building was unsafe to enter, with fears over the stability of the roof.

For more on this story - plus pictures - see this week's Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette