A couple say they have lost £18,000 worth of stock after a blaze ripped through a historic building on a regenerated quayside.

Simon and Hazel Jeffrey run The Woodman and his Wife, a small business based in Painters Forstal, which makes bespoke wood pieces.

The couple had a pitch at a woodcraft show at Old English Tools at Standard Quay in Faversham, which was supposed to run yesterday and today.

But at 12.34am this morning (October 26), Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) was called to Standard Quay to a fire that seemed to be coming from inside The Pottery Room.

Six fire engines were in attendance, and crews wearing breathing apparatus used hose-reel jets and main jets to extinguish the flames.

The fire spread to J C Lock And Safe and the unit behind, which, until recently, had been used as a butcher’s.

However, Simon and Hazel had been storing their stock for today’s show in the vacant unit, which also ended up in flames.

Simon said: “It was a woodcraft weekend to show stuff that is made locally from woodlands and other bits of wood.

“We were outside in a gazebo, so instead of packing everything up into the truck and then bringing it all back to the workshop and then taking it back down this morning, we asked if it would be okay if we stored it in the empty unit.

“That turned out not to be a good idea. We had about £18,000 worth of stock in there.”

The Woodman and his Wife, which the couple set up around 10 years ago, sells a range of items including bespoke gates, outdoor furniture, and tables.

They also make dog beds, chopping boards, a tealight holders from leftover pieces of timber.

Hazel explained: “We use a lot of our offcuts and the bits that are left over to make smaller items like spatulas and bits for the home and garden.

“It’s now the run-up to Christmas. We gradually make all our stuff over the year, ready for this time of year.

“It's not just a case of buying it in. We make everything from scratch, so we've got to cut the wood, mill the wood, and dry the wood. It’s devastating.

“It just means that now we've got to try and catch up. It was a major investment of time, love, and care for all our designs.

“Fortunately, we still have a workshop to work from and still have work to get on with, unlike those poor hardworking business owners who are permanently at the beautiful quayside.

“We understand how hard it is to make a living as a small family business, and our hearts are broken for their loss.

“Ours is minimal compared to theirs. At least we have somewhere to pick up and still try to earn a living from.

“Their lives must be shattered, but it’s still a hard blow to our small family-run business.”

Crews began dousing the wine bar next door to the fire in water and foam to stop it from spreading, and although they succeeded, the heat of the flames has caused damage to that building as well.

Crews from Faversham, Sittingbourne, Teynham, and Canterbury were seen at the scene until around 3am after the clocks went back.

In an update at 1pm, KFRS said: “Firefighting operations are now complete at the incident on Standard Quay in Faversham

“There are no reported injuries and the cause is believed to be an electrical fault.”

The affected business owners have been contacted for comment.