PEOPLE were evacuated as fire crews dealt with a blaze at a church.

At around 8.25pm on Saturday evening police received a report that the Trinity United Reform Church on the Esplanade in Whitley Bay was on fire.

"Emergency services attended the scene and the road has been closed to allow them to deal with the incident. Whitley Road has also been closed," said a spokesman for Northumbria Police.


"A number of nearby residents have also been evacuated but nobody has been injured and nobody was believed to be in the church at the time of the fire.

"Those who have been evacuated have been advised they can go to the hall attached to the Old Methodist Church on Oxford Street in Whitley Bay.
 

"Officers will remain in the area to assist the fire service as they work to extinguish the fire and a cordon is currently in place."

Enquiries to establish the exact circumstances behind the fire will continue once the fire has been extinguished.

  • If anyone does have information about the fire, or saw anyone in the area around the time it began, they should contact police on 101 quoting log 1028 06/05/17 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.