The owner of an Ilfracombe hotel destroyed by fire has praised the speedy work of the demolition company in what was "a tricky and daunting task."

Wendy Marten, who, together with Eleanor Smith co-owns the site, said ECD Demolition Ltd had done a great job by taking down the six-floor building in just two weeks.

The huge blaze in Fore Street last month required 20 fire crews from as far afield as Totnes and Minehead to extinguish it, and fire fighters were on hand for days afterwards dealing with "hotspots."

The road had to be closed while the unstable structure was still looming above it.

"ECD and project manager Chris Pote completed the work very quickly, which has been of great benefit to local people inconvenienced by the closure," said Miss Marten.

"It was a daunting and unsafe building - the end wall was apparently quite tricky."

Rubble did, in fact, fall across the road to strike the Crescent House Hotel opposite, but Miss Marten said an insurance company was dealing with the claim for damages.

The company is the same one employed to demolish Trago Mills after it was gutted by fire and closer to home; ECD was responsible for taking down the old Palmerston Hotel on the Wilder Road supermarket site.

A total of 1,500 tons of rubble was removed from the Montebello site and now it is hoped the land will eventually be sold after planning permission has been gained for apartments.