A TAKEAWAY in Hereford which had only been open for two months has been gutted by fire.

Polska Street Food opened in Union Street on June 2, but on Wednesday a fire thought to be caused by a deep fat fryer ruined the interior of the takeaway.

Owner Jana Sobczyk, 32, said their reputation had just started to make them a popular place for takeaway food, including Polish options such as zapiekanka, an open toasted sandwich with mushrooms and cheese.

Ms Sobczyk, of Cagebrook Avenue, said: "We just opened at 4pm and our chef just came to the front and he noticed that there was a fire in the fryer.

"I was sitting in there but didn't smell anything.

"When we saw the fire our chef grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to stop the fire, it stopped for a second but after that the fire was bigger.

"It's bad, everything needs to be replaced in the front. All the plastics were melted, ceilings need to be done, walls, counters, absolutely everything."

Fire crews and paramedics were called to the takeaway at around 4pm on Wednesday, but a spokesperson for the ambulance service said there were not believed to be any injuries.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service sent three crews from the city's station to the scene.

Ms Sobczyk added: "I think we had a really good start . For the first month we had mostly Polish customers but last three weeks we had a lot English, Bulgarian, Lithuanian and Portugese customers.

"We actually started being known and getting good reviews and now this has happened. That's going to impact us."