SCORES of punters had to be evacuated from the World Turned Upside Down after a fire broke out in the men’s toilets.

It is not yet known what first sparked the flames in the Whitley pub but Thames Valley Police has launched an investigation.

Staff had already managed to contain the blaze when firefighters were first called to the scene in Basingstoke Road at around 11.30pm last night.

Around 60 people had been evacuated and fire crews set to work clearing the smoke and making the scene safe.

Phil Horwood, watch manager at Whitley Wood fire station, said: “It was a small fire in one of the cubicles in the men’s toilets.

“We were called at around 11.30pm but they had evacuated and the fire was all extinguished when we got there by staff.

“We just made the scene safe and cleared the smoke. There was very little damage but quite a bit of smoke.

“We don’t know what the cause was yet but police are investigating.”

The pub has since reopened this morning as normal.