A FIRE has broken out a city fish and chip shop.

Smoke is billowing from the roof of Moby Dick Fish and Chips in Church Street, Shirley, which has been closed to traffic.

Crews from Redbridge and other fire stations in the city are fighting the fire.

An aerial ladder platform has been positioned outside Shirley Baptist Church and is being used to tackle the incident from above.

There are no reports of any injuries.

A Hampshire Fire and Rescue spokesman said: "The fire broke out of the ground floor of the fish and chip shop and appears to have spread upwards through the kitchen ducting and spread from there.

"We are currently using a thermal imaging camera that will give us advance notice of any flare-ups.

"The fire is to all intense and purposes out but we are making sure that it has not spread unseen.

"The chip shop was occupied at the time but there are no reports of any injuries and we did not have to rescue anyone.

"As far as I'm aware there was no-one in the first floor flat above.

"We expect to be on the scene for another two hours."

Two businesses either side of the chip shop were evacuated after the blaze broke out just before 10.20am.