Surprise as chimney fire in village pub reveals wasp nest

Firefighters from Shipston were called to The George on High Street, Lower Brailes, at around 11.40am this morning (Thursday, January 3), after the chimney caught alight.

The blaze was quickly extinguished using chimney rods and buckets – the crew was at the scene for around an hour.

The pub has remained open, but the bar is temporarily closed due to the smoke and smell.

Assistant manager Lily Lock said they hope to reopen it this evening but said they found it odd that a wasp nest was in the chimney.

“It’s all very strange as the chimney was swept and we had the wasp people over in the summer,” she said.

Ms Lock said the fire service believed the fire was caused by a build-up of tar in the chimney so it will be thoroughly swept again in due course.