A RESTAURANT has been ravaged by a New Year's Day fire.

The flames licking the roof of The Ferry Restaurant, in Burlesdon, were spotted at 1.15pm by a marine worker who had gone in for a few hours work on the Bank Holiday.

Grandfather Trevor Bartlett, of Townhill Park, caught the smell of smoke from the neighbouring boatyard where he was working and jumped over a fence to see what was going on and saw the blaze sweeping through the restaurant.

The 57-year-old immediately called Hampshire Fire and Rescue who are still inside the damaged building.

He said: "I had just come to get some work down while everyone was off and I could smell burning and thought it was an odd time to have a bonfire so I went to have a look and saw the fire with smoke pouring out through the roof.

"Part of it are completely black."

The Daily Echo understands there was nobody inside when the blaze broke out.

The extent and cost of the damage is not yet known.