Around 300 guests and staff at The Ritz were forced to leave the central London hotel after a fire broke out on Saturday afternoon.

The London Fire Brigade attended the blaze in Piccadilly at 2.20pm and were there for more than two hours.

The fire started in the basement on a pipe which runs the height of the seven-storey building.

The basement suffered minor damage and staff and guests were allowed back to the hotel in the early evening.

by Daniel Thomas

Ritz website>>

Firms still in the dark over fire safety laws>>

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