AN ELDERLY woman says she has been left “devastated” by a fire that ripped through her shop in the centre of Wimborne on Saturday (4).

Irene Strambone, 90, who lives in Stoke on Trent, said news of damage to the building she leases to Thomas Cook had been broken to her by her solicitor.

“I was absolutely devastated. I’ve heard it will take 12 months to rebuild after the damage. It’s going to be very difficult to move forward,” said Mrs Strambone.

Staff have been transferred to Thomas Cook’s Poole office, and phone calls have been redirected.

Tickets and booking details had been salvaged from the damaged office on the Minster town’s High Street, a spokesperson for Thomas Cook said.

The firm is seeking temporary premises in Wimborne and was keen to stay in the town in the long term, she added.

Meanwhile, work to replace the town’s postal counter continues, with district council chiefs in talks with the Post Office.

Mike Hirsh, East Dorset District Council’s head of planning and building control, said negotiations for a mobile post office could be finalised next week.

“We are in discussions with the Post Office. There will be a meeting of senior managers on Monday (13) where we will present a list of our best options.

“Ideally, it will be near the centre of town, as close as possible to the site of the old post office. It needs a level, hard surface to stand on, so one of the town-centre car parks would be the most obvious location,” said Mr Hirsh.

Dorset Fire and Service has completed its investigation among the wreckage of the three shops and the Albion pub.

Fire safety policy manager Andy Fox had discovered the cause of the blaze in faulty cabling hung in the void between the Martin’s newsagent and the flat above, a spokesperson said.