RESIDENTS left bereft after a Pinehurst convenience store burned down have flocked to a pop up shop set up in a nearby community centre.

After a blaze gutted the OneStop Shop on the Circle, Central Swindon North Parish Council acted quickly to get plenty of essentials ready for sale in the PineTrees Community Centre's Pit Stop cafe.

Six fire crews battled throughout the night on Thursday July 12 to extinguish the inferno, which s believed to have started in a crate behind the shop, then spread inside and caused its roof to collapse inwards.

The PineTrees shop was open for business on Monday morning.

Bernice Mack runs the cafe and has now taken on the role of shopkeeper.

She said: "This what the parish is all about, we're community-minded and if there's any way we can help, then we will.

"We've had really good feedback to the this from customers, they thank us every time they come in.

"A lot of people can't go to Clive Parade or get the bus for one reason or another, so this is really a lifeline for them.

"The fire was so sudden, it sunk in on Friday morning then we started planning this on the Saturday.

"It's only the basics here but it's what people need for now.

"The parish are paying for all of it and we sell everything at cost, so we're making no money from it.

"We've sold out every day and keep having to go back to the Cash and Carry, so we must be doing something right."

Andy Reeves, the parish council's clerk, said: "We noticed that a lot of OneStop customers were elderly or had mobility issues, and other shops were either too far away for them to get to or not big enough to fit their mobility scooters.

"The residents around here were absolutely delighted that we did this.

"It also raises awareness of our cafe, which is all about bringing people together.

"This shop is open 9am to 4pm and will be until another shop opens, which we expect to be in several weeks."