Wetherspoons closes 15-20 London pubs as rioters destroy Great Harry in Woolwich

09 August 2011 by
Wetherspoons closes 15-20 London pubs as rioters destroy Great Harry in Woolwich

JD Wetherspoon has temporarily closed 15-20 pubs in south and south east London following a night of rioting in the capital which saw firm's Great Harry pub in Woolwich completely destroyed.

The pub was ransacked and set alight by rioters shortly before midnight last night as violence and looting in the south east London town near Greenwich escalated.

A spokesman for Wetherspoons confirmed the pub had been completely destroyed but fortunately no-one was injured in the blaze.

Speaking about the destruction of the Great Harry and the decision to close around 15-20 other pubs in the area, the spokesman said: "There is a financial implication to this but that is not our main concern - it is the safety of our staff and customers."

It is not clear at this stage whether or not Wetherspoon will rebuild the pub. The blaze has left around 40 staff out of work. The company said it would attempt to relocate them to other businesses.

Meanwhile a Wimpy restaurant on Thomas Street in Woolwich was also extensively damaged, and the O'Connors pub on Beresford Square was lightly damaged by fire after a police car near the building was torched.

The Great Harry pub in Woolwich was completely destroyed.

The Wimpy restaurant on Thomas Street was extensively damaged.

O'Connors on Beresford Square was lightly damaged by the flames from a burning police car.

By Neil Gerrard

E-mail your comments to Neil Gerrard here.

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