A RESTAURANT on Mudeford sandbank that was gutted by fire last autumn remains closed three months on.

On Friday, November 2, a fire broke out at the Beach House eatery on the harbour side of the sandbank.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 6.35pm, around two hours after staff had left for the day.

Four fire crews tackled the fire and had to cut away the roof in order to ventilate the premises.

Crews from Christchurch, Springbourne, Redhill Park and Poole attended and used 12 breathing apparatus and three main lines to extinguish the fire.

The blaze affected the rear kitchen, restaurant and a storage area, however, the conservatory area remained largely untouched.

No one was in the premises at the time of the fire.

Days after the blaze, a beach-side kiosk was set-up serving hot drinks and snacks which is open each day depending on the weather.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the fire was accidental and there were no suspicious circumstances.

Last month, Beach House said on its Facebook page that the café was “no longer as we knew it.”

They added “watch this space for summer 2019” and told people on their page that plans are in the making which will be announced as soon as they are able to reveal the details.

Christchurch Borough Council said it was "continuing to work together with the tenants of the Beach House to find a working solution".

They added: "We are working to ensure that the site is safe and secure."

The Daily Echo was told in November that the damage to the building was "pretty extensive" and "pretty bad" due to smoke and water damage.

Beach House is the sister restaurant to The Boathouse on Christchurch Quay which suffered a serious fire in 2013.