A pub in Stratford was closed for part of the weekend after a fire, which was thought to have been caused by a stray cigarette.

Two engines from the town’s fire station were called to The Goose pub, in the Broadway, at around 7.45pm on Friday after the outside of the pub was ablaze.

The flames then spread to the pub’s electrical system, damaging some of the lighting. Customers were evacuated from the building and it remained shut until 5pm on Saturday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the London Fire Brigade.

Manager Mandy Connor said firefighters indicated that it might have been caused by a cigarette.

She said: “They think that it was a cigarette that rolled underneath the building.

“There is a gap between the pavement and the pub, and they think the cigarette rolled underneath. It burnt the outside and burnt a lot of the lights in the inside out.”

Mrs Connor said it was difficult to estimate the affect on the pub’s income as a result of having to close up early. She will have to wait until the damage has been assessed by her insurance company before it can be fully repaired.”

She added: “It was our busiest period and our peak session. We lost a fair bit of money.”