A pair of entrepreneurs have vowed their successful launderette will rise from the ashes after a devastating fire.

Best friends Rebecca Addison and Rebecca Townshend are in shock after the premises of A&T Cleaning Services was gutted by fire.

They were hit by an accidental fire last Saturday night (September 21) on Pixon Lane above Tavistock Hire Centre. Investigations as to the cause are continuing.

They began the company four years ago as a cleaning company and expanded into successful laundering hospitality businesses’ linen and are shocked by the ‘disaster’. However, they have been boosted by an ‘overwhelming’ outpouring of kindness by business customers, other businesses, Tavistock Town Council and complete strangers. One offer was for six-month’s rent free premises.

Rebecca Townshend said: “We have been taken completely by surprise by the amount of messages of support and the offers of practical support. People we don’t even know or we wouldn’t expect to help out, have offers to come and clean our premises after the fire. Our customers have been so kind, they’ve been offering us help as well. Other businesses in a the town and on the industrial estate have been so kind.”

Rebecca Addison said: “We were stunned, so shocked, when we stood outside and saw the total damage. It’s hard to believe what’s happened. We due to deliver all the cleaned linen to our customers, all the businesses who were expecting their table linen and everything else a hospitality company needs.

“People could see how affected we were and brought us teas and comforted us. We’re very touched.”

The blaze took hold at the first-floor premises in the middle of Friday into Saturday night and was discovered by witnesses early on Saturday. Fire appliances from several stations, including Tavistock, attended with extra water supplies and a hydraulic platform as firefighters successfully stopped it spreading to the ground floor premises of Tavistock Hire Centre.

Rebecca Townshend said: “We’ve worked so hard to build this business, we expanded after taking a chance on cleaning premises to laundering and it’s meant working 17-hour days during the summer along with our five staff and our ambition is to be bigger and better.

“It would be all to easy to give up and it was tempting as we saw the ruined inside and linen thrown out by the firemen. But we owe it to our staff and our customers and the town. We didn’t realise we were so valued by the town and that its given us extra motivation not to give in. We will start again and relaunch the business. We have a very loyal customer base which we can’t let down. We’re both determined people and we work so well together as friends and colleagues. We started the business to do well for our families and give them a good start through our own hard work. So, we won’t give up - this will be a new beginning.”

The pair thanked firefighters for their prompt action, ensuring the fire did not spread.