By Corey Ross and Hannah White

THE owners of the Market Inn and Charter 1227 have spoken of the shock of watching their businesses go up in flames early this morning.

David Ashley, who has owned the lease for the Market Inn in the Market Place for 13 years, said he was “gutted” about the damage the fire has caused.

The full extent of the damage is not yet known as the building has not been deemed safe enough to enter so Mr Ashley doesn't know how bad it is or how it will affect his business.

He arrived at the scene at about 2am. “The pub was up in flames and so was the building next door by then,” he said. I've been told it probably started on the third storey, the top floor, but they can't be sure until they get in to do a detailed investigation.”

Mr Ashley also owns the Ox Row Inn, which is just a few buildings away from the Market Inn, and members of staff from both pubs were in the Market Inn when the fire broke out.

A member of staff and a relative who were in the flat on the third floor noticed the fire and alerted everyone downstairs.

Everyone got out safely but one member of staff who tried to tackle the fire with an extinguisher suffered a minor injury and was taken to Salisbury District Hospital for treatment.

Danny Bozic, owner of Charter 1227, wasn't aware of the fire until he received a text message at 7.30am, when he was celebrating his daughter's fifth birthday.

He said: “I'm still in shock. It's awful - you feel like there's nothing to say. I'm just happy nobody was injured. Everybody has been so supportive, lots of people have offered help and I'm so grateful. We will bounce back, I know we will.”