THE owner of a beauty salon that was devastated in a fire said support from the community helped save her business.

Beauty-licious – a hair, beauty and tanning salon – suffered more than �12,000 of damage after an early-morning fire on December 28.

But just 17 days later it is welcoming loyal clients back into the salon.

Owner Julie Taylor, 39, who only founded the business in August, said she had been boosted by the support she’s received from Hadleigh’s community.

Neighbouring businesses have offered to replace waiting room chairs lost in the blaze and the salon’s staff have worked round-the-clock to clean the premises.

Mrs Taylor, of Ansell Close, Hadleigh, said the messages of support from customers and competitors had lifted her spirits.

She added: “Hadleigh has 14 hairdressers, so we are in competition with them but for people to come in and ask about us does make you feel better.”

“We’re a new business, we only opened in August, and the fire was a horrible thing to happen, but it shows we have got some loyal clients already.

“It was a shock and you never know if people are going to come back.”

An early morning passer-by spotted the salon fire in Maiden Way around 5.45am. Mrs Taylor said the blaze is believed to have been caused by a faulty lamp.

She said: “When I first had the call I was told it was a break-in, but then someone said it was a fire.

“We had a full book that day so it was a bit of shock. It was particularly horrible thing to go through.”