A pet shop owner in Tunbridge Wells has spoken of his relief after his animals were unharmed by a fire at his business.

Fire crews were called to Pets in Town, in Camden Road, after an electrical fire started in the basement. They used fans to keep the smoke contained in the basement to protect the animals on the upper floors.

Owner Steve Ball was thankful none of the animals was harmed. "I was at home having a cup of tea when I got a phone call from my colleague saying there was a fire in the shop," he said.

"I was dreading the worst and was thinking I would arrive and there would be flames coming out of the shop.

"Of course the most important thing I was most concerned about is that the livestock was ok." The only pet which was affected was Twinny the parrot, who spent the evening relaxing in one of the fire engines.

Mr Ball added: "It's amazing how news spread. I've had one customer say she heard the shop had been blown up and another said it had burnt to the ground.

"I can't possibly thank the fire crews enough. They were really thorough and were able to avoid a disaster. They kept me up-to-date all the time telling me what was going on."