A cafe owner says he has been left devastated after a fire ripped through his kitchen causing £20,000 worth of damage.

The blaze at the Airport Cafe in Sellindge near Hythe broke out this morning.

Fire crews were called to the fire at 9.52am but Pat Breen says it was more than 30 minutes later that they arrived.

Mr Breen and his wife Julie run the cafe and say the delayed response has added tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage.

The couple say they feel let down by the fire service.

Mr Breen said: "The fire brigade were slow in responding, it took them over 30 minutes to get here. So what started as a small fire has spread into a big fire.

"They said there had been another incident at Ashford, and eventually they got here. It has devastated our business.

"We estimate that there has been about £20,000 worth of damage, we won't be open here for a while.

"We've had the ceilings, wiring and equipment all burned out, the whole cafe is black."

The cafe has been in Mrs Breen's family for 57 years and she took over running it from her parents when they retired more than 20 years ago.

Firefighters fought the fire at the two-storey building using a hose reel and covering jet before using a fan to clear the smoke damage.

No injuries were reported and the cause is not yet known.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "We are looking into our response to this incident and any further information on this will be made available when completed."

Video: Matt Leclere went to see the aftermath and spoke to owners Patrick and Julie Breen