Ferdinandos Sheffield: Shock as drugs factory flat fire causes floor to collapse into restaurant below

Police were called out today after the ceiling collapsed after a fire broke out in a flat, which was over the Ferdinando’s restaurant at Meadowhead, in the middle of last night.

There is no suggestion that the restaurant knew anything about what was going on in the flat, where police found cannabis plants were being grown.

Staff arrived at the Italian restaurant today to find a hole in the ceiling as a result of the fire, which police say was due to wiring catching fire upstairs.

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police's Sheffield city centre neighbourhood team, which was called out, said: “City Centre Neighbourhood Team Officers attended to a report of a found cannabis factory in the Meadowhead area this week. Whereby approximately 60 cannabis plants were recovered.

“Unfortunately, due to the poor electrical wiring and the overloading of circuits, an electrical fire started at the premise, causing the upstairs room ceiling to collapse into a restaurant below, causing several thousands of pounds worth of damage. Fortunately, the premise wasn’t open, and nobody was hurt.”

Staff at the restaurant were busy clearing up the damage which had been caused by the collapsed ceiling today.

They were too busy to talk about last night’s incident, although the man answering the telephone said he was not in when the fire happened.

He added he did not yet know when the venue would be able to re-open again.