The manager of a play group in Whitton has spoken of her devastation after flames tore through the church hall it called home at the weekend.

The hall beside Whitton Methodist Church in Percy Road was badly damaged by the fire, which broke out during the early hours of Sunday (September 13).

Julie Wild runs the play group, which met there every weekday morning and has 30 children registered. She said it was likely to be months before the venue is fit for use again.

"We're all completely devastated," she said. "It's quite a shock. It's not just affected the play group, which has been running for 35 years. You also have the Brownies, dancers, philatelists and many other groups which use this hall.

"We haven't been able to go inside to assess the full extent of the damage, but we think it's likely to be months before the hall can be used again.

"My staff and I are trying to put together a strategy to find a new location for the play group [while the hall is repaired].

"I'd like to thank members of the community who have been so supportive, whether that's by sending lovely messages or offering to make donations. We're hoping to sort out somewhere for donations to be left shortly."

Around 35 firefighters spent an hour-and-a-half tackling the blaze after the London Fire Brigade was called at 3.14am.

The LFB said half the roof and half the ground floor of the hall had been damaged but thankfully no one was injured. The cause is under investigation.

The church itself was unaffected, but shared toilet and kitchen facilities are believed to have been damaged, so church services may be affected.

Church steward Robin Gammon said he expected to have a better idea later this week but hoped there would be "minimal disruption" to services.

He said he spent the whole of Sunday at the site and thanked members of the public who had brought him food and let him charge his mobile phone.

"It's a very upsetting event but it's great to see the community pulling together in response," he added.