FIREFIGHTERS rushed to fight a blaze at a 400-year-old disused coaching inn early yesterday (Tuesday) morning.

Fire broke out at Mitcheldean’s former George Hotel on the B4224 at Hawker Hill near the Co-op and St Michael and All Angels Church shortly after 3am.

Concerned villagers looked on as flames and billowing smoke filled the skies above the inn before emergency services arrived to extinguish the blaze.

Four fire and rescue appliances were in atten dance at the scene, including two from Cinderford, one from Coleford and one from Newent, as well as a platform from Gloucester North.

The blaze spread to the roof of the former inn, which dates back to the early 1600s and closed in 2009.

The George is reputedly the home of a ghost called ‘Trooper Joe’ who re-arranged bottles and glasses on their shelves in its days as an inn.

The soldier is thought to have killed himself there in 1833 while be-ing marched under escort from Abergavenny to Gloucester to face a court martial.

Fire rescue teams used two self-contained breathing apparatus in their efforts to extinguish yesterday’s fire, as well as four hose reel jets.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service posted an update on their Twitter page at 9.25am on Tuesday saying most of the fire had been put out, with one crew still in attendance to extinguish the last areas.

Crews tackled the fire from the outside due to it being an unsafe structure, and were still fighting the blaze four hours later.

The cause of the fire at the historic premises is as yet unknown.

The road through the centre of the village was still closed off during the Tuesday morning rush hour, with motorists being advised to find an alternative route in a statement from Gloucestershire Highways.

Bus operator Stagecoach operated a diversion to all morning services which usually stop outside the old George Hotel.