21 Oct 2011
Construction work on Hereford city centre shops destroyed by fire last year is continuing, with their opening date pushed back to 2012.
The blaze, which broke out in High Town last October, was the biggest in the city for 30 years and took more than 100 firefighters eight hours to bring under control.
It destroyed a 15th Century pub, and badly damaged three four-storey buildings containing River Island, Card Factory, Ann Summers and a mobile phone shop.
Architect Chris Woodall, who is working on the redevelopment, said that it would probably be at the end of the summer when construction work on the three worst affected shops was finished. It would take another month or so to fit them out, he added.
The fire was started by an electrical fault, police have said.
Copyright Press Association 2011