Utilities begin work at collapsed fire-hit cafe

Gas and electricity are set to be reconnected more than three months after a fire in a cafe which caused a building to collapse.

Part of Dorchester's main shopping street has been closed since the blaze tore through the Gorge Cafe in the early hours of 9 December.

Dorset Council said safety checks for the reconnection of gas supplies in the affected area were due to begin on Thursday.

It is not yet known when the street will be able to reopen.

The council said its building control and highways teams, along with the contractor's site manager, had met with utility companies SGN and SSE.

A council spokesperson said: "Once initial safety checks have been carried out by the utility providers, we should be able to confirm dates for completion of these works.

"When all reconnections have been completed and road resurfacing has been finished, we will remove the safety fencing and open the roads running up to the cordon."

Scaffolding is also being erected to allow contractors to remove loose and fallen materials and to make the buildings safe.

Structural engineers will make further safety checks before South Street and Hardye Arcade can be partially reopened for pedestrians.

The fire destroyed the Grade II listed terraced building in South Street, where novelist Thomas Hardy trained as an architect.

The building collapsed further several weeks after the fire and the street has remained sealed off amid safety concerns.

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