A BOOKMAKERS and another shop had to be evacuated this evening after reports of smoke coming from the basement.

A fire crew from Bolton Central station attended the incident at the William Hill betting shop in Chorley Old Road at around 8pm tonight, after neighbours smelled smoke.

Firefighters discovered that the shop’s main electrical fuse had overheated, causing a slight scorching to a wooden meter board. The building and the shop next door were both evacuated.

Fire service watch manager Karsten Boyle said: “We isolated the supply and used an extinguisher to control the smouldering. We are now waiting for the electricity board to make the supply safe.”