A FORMER Gwent brewery was gutted by fire which ripped through the grade II listed building.

Empty for almost ten years, the five-storey former home of Cwmavon Brewery building stands on the Cwmavon Works site near Abersychan.

Firefighters from eight stations were called to the blaze on Cwmavon Road just before 9pm on Sunday.

The site is owned by sister companies Extrusion and Moulding Compounds Limited and Capital Valley Plastics.

Managing director of the two companies Roger Phillips said the main factory, which manufactures polythene film for the construction industry, lies behind the historic building and was not damaged. He said 37 people work there and he was glad nobody was hurt.

Mr Phillips said the company had plans to renovate the historic building and had applied for a grant from the Welsh Government for extra machinery. He said the extra revenue provided by the machinery would have funded the renovation. He said he is now waiting for a report from the fire investigation and a visit from the company’s insurers.

A spokeswoman for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it has not been able to establish the cause yet because the building was not safe and so the investigation could not start.