VILLAGERS have been left devastated after fire ripped through a £3m community centre in the early hours of yesterday.

The centre, in the village of Waterhouses, close to Durham City, suffered massive damage in the fire, which broke out at about 3am.

Flames leapt into the air after the fire spread to the roof of the building and the main hall, offices, bar and toilet block were reduced to ashes - although firefighters managed to save the foyer, which houses the village's 1950s pit banner, which has just undergone a £23,000 restoration.

Volunteers were yesterday still coming to terms with the devastating blow to the community-owned centre, which opened six years ago with the help of a £3m National Lottery grant.

Waterhouses Community Association secretary Rhona Foster said: "I got a call at home saying there was a fire and I came straight down.

"There was smoke coming out of the building and then the fire brigade said it had spread to the roof. All of a sudden, flames were coming through the roof and the fire took the whole roof off.

"I was standing across the road watching with tears rolling down my face.

"We are shattered, but we will be a phoenix from the flames - we are going to rise from the ashes."

A steady stream of volunteers visited the blackened building yesterday to start cleaning up, while others cancelled wedding receptions, birthday and anniversary parties and the centre's monthly cinema club.

Fire crews spent more than seven hours dealing with the blaze - at its height, five fire engines and an aerial turntable ladder were at the scene.

Assessing the damage yesterday, fire station manager Steve Owers said most damage was caused when the fire spread to the roof void.

A crew had gone inside the building and prevented the blaze spreading to the foyer, but once it had reached the roof timbers it had spread very quickly, he said.

"We are investigating the cause, but there is nothing to indicate it was malicious," he added,

The centre opened for the Millennium celebrations on New Year's Eve 1999 after being built on the site of the derelict former Co-op store.