Firefighters are having to pump water from a nearby pond to extinguish the fire at Alston Hall. pic.twitter.com/zwHTCtVUhI

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— Lancashire Fire (@LancashireFRS) March 16, 2017

A Victorian hall on the outskirts of Preston has been badly damaged by a major fire.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service say nearly a third of Alston Hall was affected by the fire.

The grade-II listed building near Grimsargh had up to 70 firefighters tackling the flames.

Two aerial platforms were used to fight the blaze and water was pumped from a nearby pond.

No one has been hurt in the fire, which started around 10.40pm on Wednesday (15 March).

An investigation is beginning during Thursday (16 March) morning to establish the cause of the fire.

One person was in the property when the fire broke out and hurt their ankle escaping the blaze. No one else was injured.

The hall was sold by Lancashire County Council last year to a private buyer who is in the process of converting it back to a residence.