THE Potters Heron hotel has reopened after one of the largest thatch fires in Hampshire in decades.

Fire crews have also said that it appeared to start accidentally after Winchester Road was shut off last Monday night.

Fire service investigators have concluded that a chimney spark was the most probably cause of the blaze that damaged the Potters Heron Hotel in Ampfield last Monday.

At the height of the blaze more than 100 firefighters were tackling the flames.

Ambulance staff and police were on scene to help combat the flames and keep traffic running around Ampfield.

Staff and visitors were quickly evacuated and no-one was injured in the incident.

It follows the news that chairman of Pebble Hotels, which runs the Potters Heron, said the hotel would reopen as soon as possible following safety checks this weekend.