JUST days after the landlords of the Cock Inn in Hadleigh watched their pub engulfed in flames they are today back behind the bar serving punters.Karen and Barry Hedley have praised the firefighters, police and whole community who have inspired them to keep going despite the extensive damage caused by the flames on Tuesday evening.

JUST days after the landlords of the Cock Inn in Hadleigh watched their pub engulfed in flames they are today back behind the bar serving punters.

Karen and Barry Hedley have praised the firefighters, police and whole community who have inspired them to keep going despite the extensive damage caused by the flames on Tuesday evening.

Mrs Hedley said: “The fire brigade was brilliant. Our friends were a great help too. One of our neighbours who we'd never spoken to took our cat, Tabitha, in to look after her.

“We had offers from so many people to put us up, but we wanted to stay in the pub.

“We were determined we would open, people were so good, I thought: 'we have to open because it is their local pub'.

“People have been surprised we were open from Wednesday, but pleased. We're just opening the bar area, not the lounge where the fire started.

“We've been playing lots of songs related to fire on the juke box, but other than that we've been getting on as normal.

“There is certainly a good atmosphere.”

The fire started at around 6.30pm on Tuesday in an extractor fan with the blaze rapidly spreading along an interior wall and then upstairs.