Hair salon hit by fire

A popular hair salon in Old Cross has been hit by a fire as they prepared to reopen on Wednesday.

Emergency services were called by staff at Tom Ashley in Old Cross, where smoke coluld be seen coming out of the front door of the building.

The first fire engine arrived at 2:35pm followed shortly after by police and further appliances from Ware, Hoddesdon and Welwyn Garden City, with the road being closed at 2:40pm.

Firefighters wearing breathing equipment entered the premises to tackle the fire, which is believed to have started in the basement.

The fire was brought under control by 3:30pm, with firefighters accessing the upper floors and opening windows to allow smoke to escape from the building.

We are all fine. There has been a fire at the salon. Thank you for all your concerns. Updates to follow.

Tom Ashley on Facebook

The closure of Old Cross caused chaos in surrounding streets, with motorists reporting heavy and slow-moving traffic in the roads around Bengeo.

No-one was hurt in the incident and the road reopened around 5:45pm.

Tom Craddock opened the salon in 2015, relocating to new larger premises next door in 2019. He trained in Covent Garden and has 20 years of experience in the industry.