An M&S Simply Food store on a BP forecourt in Oxfordshire has been destroyed in a fire.

The blaze broke out at the filling station on Thame Road in Stadhampton at about 17:30 on Monday July 15, and firefighters said they were at the site within 14 minutes of the alarm being raised.

Jets of water were sprayed from a crane to prevent the blaze from spreading to the pumps and nearby houses in an operation that involved about 40 firefighters.

The fire was put out in the early hours of Tuesday. No injuries have been reported.

Gary Coupar, from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Initial crews recognised the severity of the fire and the potential for it to spread to nearby houses, including one that had a large wooden garage right next to the fire.

“They did excellent work to prevent the spread in difficult circumstances.”

The cause of the blaze is being investigated.

The site reopened in April last year after a temporary closure for a redevelopment of the forecourt and introduction of the Simply Food store.

Prior to its purchase by BP last year it has been owned by Mohammed Farook who ran it as a BP site with a Budgens store.