Cafe is destroyed in blaze

This was the scene of devastation at a West Bromwich cafe today after a blaze tore through it in the early hours of the morning.

The Bizarre Cafe on Newton Road is believed to have been set on fire deliberately at 2am.

Firefighters from West Bromwich and Wednesbury raced to the scene to battle the flames but the building was destroyed.

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It is the second time the popular business has been attacked by arsonists. In 2000 it burned down and owner John Karatzas received donations of £20,000 from well-wishers to reopen it.

But today all that was left was the cafe's charred shell and its furniture either destroyed or covered in ash. The roof appears to have fallen down and the only items that appear to have survived are a few chairs.

Crew commander Ade Cope at West Bromwich Fire Station, said: "It is a couple of portable buildings that have been put together and used as a cafe for quite some time. We got called to it about 2am in the morning. It's quite seriously fire damaged."

The cafe, popular with motorists and truckers, first opened in the lay-by in 1996.