The thatched roof of a pub near Honiton caught fire this afternoon.

As many as 17 fire engines were on the scene fighting the blaze at the White Hart pub in Wilmington.

Fire crews began stripping the thatch from the roof in an attempt to make fire breaks at around 1.40pm.

In an update at 7.30pm, Devon Fire and Rescue said: "The incident has been scaled down to 5 appliances and crews are at work sheeting up the roof.

"An appliance will be attending later this evening with a thermal imaging camera to do a thorough internal and external inspection.

"Fire investigation has confirmed that this was an accidental fire."

The White Hart pub also suffered extensive damage in a fire in 2004.