TRADERS were left yesterday counting the cost of the fire as their stores remained closed.

Iceland was destroyed in the blaze in Cibi Walk just months after a £200,000 refurbishment.

The fire, which may have been caused by a discarded cigarette in a wheelie bin at the back of the buildings, had firefighters battling for more than three hours yesterday morning.

A spokeswoman for Iceland said it was not yet known how much it would cost to repair the shop where 22 people are employed.

She said: "We will be working hard to repair the damage to the store and will re-open as soon as possible, for the benefit of our customers."

The blaze also caused damage to the Boston Pine Company, Peacocks and contaminated thousands of pounds worth of fruit and veg at Stokes. King Street and Queen Street were closed as structural engineers carried out checks and Cibi Walk will be closed until further notice.

Residents and shop owners were devastated yesterday. Station Officer Mark Francis was at the scene and said the fire spread quickly.

He said: "It looks at though a discarded cigarette in a wheelie bin at the back of the building started the fire which spread quickly and caused massive consequences."

Stationery shop Partners was lucky to avoid the flames. Manager Jason Kennard said: "We were very lucky because of all the paper and card we store."

The manager of Stokes fruit and veg shop, Martin Prosser, says there was several thousands pounds worth of damage.

He said: "We have to throw away all our stock, everything has been contaminated by the smoke. The whole shop smells and we will have to refurbish the inside, it's going to cost thousands."

Adam Walsh, appliance and duty manager at Iceland, said: "I found out this morning when I saw it on TV. I went to the store and couldn't believe my eyes. It didn't sink in at first the whole shop is gutted."

Dorothy Clissold, 71, who lives just yards from where the blaze took place, was upset that the town had suffered such a blow.

She said: "I didn't hear the fire in the night, but when I woke up and looked outside I was shocked to see the devastation.

"It's really sad because Iceland just had the whole shop refurbished. The loss of trade for all the shops is terrible. You think you only see these sort of things on TV, I can't believe it's happened to us."