A BLAZE broke out in the basement of an award-winning restaurant early this morning.

Firefighters were called to celebrity chef Paul Clerehugh’s restaurant, The London Street Brasserie, at around 5.45am after a blaze broke out in the basement.

Crews from Caversham Road and Wokingham Road fire stations used breathing apparatus and a hose reel to douse the flames before using a ventilation fan to clear the smoke from the building.