Second blaze at kebab shop

A KEBAB shop has been destroyed in a "suspicious" blaze just days before it was due to open - for the second time.

Police have launched an investigation into the early morning fire which gutted the Four In One takeaway in West Main Street, Whitburn.

It had just been refurbished after a previous blaze seven months ago which also happened just before it was due to open.

The latest fire caused more than 100,000 of damage after it broke out at around 4am on Sunday, and destroyed part of the building's roof and as well as destroying the interior.

A total of 30 firefighters tackled the fire for nearly five hours as the flames ripped through the building.

Derek Swan, manager of neighbouring D&S Flooring on East Main Street, said firefighters had to force open his shutters to check the blaze had not spread to his business.

"They had been due to open seven months ago, but there was a big fire on the roof and so obviously they had to get everything fixed," he said.

"They have spent months fitting out the premises and they had been due to open this week, I believe, so it's ridiculous this has happened again.

"We were lucky as there was no damage to our building. I've no idea who could have done this."

The business is located between three other takeaway outlets in the town, and local councillor Gordon Beurskens admitted the planning application had been "controversial".

"There were a number of objections to the application, although I believe most of them were to do with parking," he said.

"It certainly seems suspicious that this premises has been burned down twice on the eve of opening."

Officers from West Lothian Council's building standards department were also surveying the building as a safety precaution.

A council spokesman said: "Our Building Standards team are in the process of making the fire-damaged shop safe."

Four In One, whose head office is in Falkirk, has a number of shops throughout West Lothian, and serves American, Indian, Turkish and Italian food. A company spokesman said the shop was due to open this week after its refurbishment, but declined to comment on the incident. On its website, the Whitburn site is listed as "coming soon".

Police said they believed the fire was started deliberately and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

A spokesman said: "We are treating this fire as suspicious, and we are keen to hear from anyone with information that could assist our enquiries.

"Anyone who was in the area of West Main Street in Whitburn at around the time the fire broke out, who noticed any suspicious activity there, should contact police.

"Similarly, anyone else who has any information that can assist police should also get in touch."