THE Greyhound pub in Wilton was devastated on Friday night by a fire which ripped through the first floor of the building.

Unsuspecting staff and customers were chatting and drinking in the bar during the evening as the flames took hold upstairs.

By the time they realised that anything was amiss, the upper floor of the building was ablaze and it was too late to salvage a lot of property.

Neighbours rushed out of their houses and gathered on the pavement as the drama unfolded.

Onlookers said that the licensees were forced to escape with only the clothes they were wearing.

They even lost the takings from a till, which had been emptied and the cash left upstairs shortly before the fire started.

The fire brigade received a flurry of emergency calls from concerned members of the public who saw smoke pouring from the building.

Five separate fire crews from Wilton, Salisbury, Amesbury and Tisbury fought to save the pub.

The frontage was left charred and there was extensive smoke and water damage from the fire, which broke out at around 8pm.

Much of the weekend was given over to clearing up and boarding up the now empty and blackened upper windows of the pub.

A fire brigade spokesman said that the cause of the fire was not yet known and their investigations were continuing.