FIRE ripped through the upper floor of an historic Suffolk pub in the early hours of this morning.Paramedics rushed to the scene and had to treat one person for smoke inhalation, but no-one was seriously injured.

FIRE ripped through the upper floor of an historic Suffolk pub in the early hours of this morning.

Paramedics rushed to the scene and had to treat one person for smoke inhalation, but no-one was seriously injured.

Flashing blue lights signalled early morning drama in the picturesque village of Woolpit after the alarm was raised just before 4am.

Fire had taken hold in a bedroom The Swan pub, parts of which are thought to date back as far as the 14th Century.

Firefighters were called to the pub, in The Street, at 3.45am. They battled for 40 minutes to put out the blaze.

This morning charred debris littered the outside of the pub although the scene was quiet.

A blackened bedroom chair, torched curtains and a melted portable stereo showed the power of the blaze that ripped through the pub.

A spokesman for the fire service said flames had taken hold in a bedroom and spread to other parts of the upper floor.

She said appliances from Elmswell and Ixworth were called to the scene.

Fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus fought their way through the smoke-filled rooms to tackle the fire.

In the bedroom, fire crews then cut away floorboards to making the scene safe.

One shocked neighbour said she had been woken at 4am by fire crews who then inspected the building, which adjoins the pub, for any signs of the fire spreading.