On Thursday night fire engines were called to deal with an fire at 6 High Street Merstham, the former site of a Firework shop until a couple of weeks ago. The fire would appear to have been started deliberately and required the evacuation of the flat about the shop.

Cllr Mark Brunt who was on the scene shortly after the Fire engines arrived reported:

"Residents reported to me they first heard a number of loud bangs, apparently from fireworks going off in the shop which had been left abandoned when the former users of the shop left."

"After the firework shop left, I noticed that some display fireworks had been left in the window of the otherwise empty shop along with a sofa dumped in the door way apparently by the people clearing out the shop."

"Earlier this week I noticed that someone had smashed one of the side windows and the fireworks in the window had been taken."

The A23 was closed for an hour last night while the fire was put out and the local shops, including the off licence which is due soon to move into this shop unit, were evacuated.