A SNOOKER club in Dudley has been destroyed after a blaze ripped through it today (Sunday May 24).

Around 40 firefighters have been tackling the fire at Dudley Snooker and Pool Club on Stafford Street, since it broke out in the early hours of the morning.

West Midlands Fire Service said that, at it’s height, the whole building was on fire and the walls of the building are now unsafe.

They also warned nearby residents to keep all windows and doors closed to prevent smoke from getting into their properties.

And fire bosses also praised the work of the crews at the scene, saying good team work had prevented the blaze from spreading to other nearby buildings.

Crews had made good progress in dealing with the fire by 5am this morning and structural engineers were on scene to assess the building.

No one was believed to be in the building at the time of the fire and an investigation into what caused it has been launched.

Firefighters remain at the scene today clearing up debris. The remains of building is still fenced off and is expected to be torn down in the coming days.

But the blaze has had an impact on nearby businesses in Stafford Street due to the closure of the road this morning.

Rukhsana Begum, a worker at Food World, said: "This store is under new management and we have been holding a three day sale since Friday.

"It has been busy the past two days but obviously with the road being closed this morning, it has really hit our trade badly.

"We expect it is going to have an effect on us throughout the week until it is finally all cleared up.

"Thankfully, the shop itself wasn't damaged by the fire as there is a road between us and the snooker hall building and we have been able to open."

One resident, who lives nearby, said: "My sister woke up at around 2am this morning to the smell of the fire. She looked and could see the whole snooker and pool club on fire."