An investigation is underway after more than 20 firefighters fought a blaze at the former Limes pub in Sandbach earlier today (Wednesday).

Firefighters were called to the Sweettooth Lane building at 5.57 am after smoke was seen coming from the roof.

A police cordon was set up around the area to allow firefighters from Crewe, Middlewich Alsager, Congleton and an aerial ladder platform from Lymm, to fight the blaze.

Eyewitnesses living nearby said they heard fire engines at around 6 am. One eye witness, who didn't want to be named, said he went outside and saw smoke coming from the roof.

(Photo: Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service)

"There were sirens going off and fire engines everywhere. Smoke was coming out from the roof. It's an empty building and it was only a matter of time before this happened," the eye witness said.

A Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson said: "Due to the unsafe structure of the building, two firefighters were on an aerial ladder platform and worked from above, removing tiles from the roof.

"This allowed them to fully extinguish the fire safely. An investigation to establish the cause will take place once the fire is fully extinguished."

(Photo: Sandbach Nub News)

Police reopened the road at 8 am but firefighters damped down the building from the outside.

The Limes, which has a bowling green at the front, has been closed for a while after Newcastle-based Crown Care Group announced plans to turn it into a 60-bed care home.

Sandbach Nub News told here how plans to demolish the former pub were going through the planning process with Cheshire East Council but it was taking longer than expected.  

A Police cordon was set up (Photo: Sandbach Nub News)

The Crown Care Group told Nub News in February that the planning process "had taken longer than expected" but they were hoping for a successful outcome "very soon".

Sandbach Nub News has approached the Crown Care Group for a comment about the fire.