Watch firefighters tackle blaze at Wheatsheaf pub in Worthing

A spokesman for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said the service was called to the ‘derelict building’ at 9.24pm.

The spokesman said four fire engines arrived, accompanied by the Command Support Unit, to find the first floor of the building ‘well alight’.

The first and second floors were severely damaged by the fire, said the spokesman, before the crews managed to extinguish it.

The fire service left the scene at 11.45pm, according to the spokesman.

In May a planning committee rejected plans to replace the building with a three-storey block of eight flats with commercial space on the ground floor.

Worthing’s planning committee rejected the scheme on grounds which included overdevelopment, the harmful impact it would have on a conservation area and the lack of outdoor space and privacy for residents.