HUNDREDS of rare and valuable fish were carried out of an aquatic centre in Bicester last night after the building caught fire.

Six fire engines were called to the World of Water Store in Bicester Avenue at 10.27pm following reports of a blaze.

A "serious" fire had broken out at the back of the premises and eight firefighters entered and extinguished it.

Teams also had to break into adjacent shops to stop the fire spreading.

Staff working on the site were helped by crews to relocate hundreds of fish in makeshift tanks. 

The World of Water retail mall sells pets, fishing gear and camping equipment as well as garden ponds and aquariums.

Incident commander Pete Mackay from Bicester Fire Station said: "Site staff were alerted to this fire by the fire alarm system.

"Our priority was to immediately limit the damage and to protect the fish and other animals in the units.

"Crews have worked extremely hard to contain this fire, and the fact that such a severe fire was limited to the one store demonstrates the importance of businesses having fire plans, maintaining clear walkways and fire precautions including the means to detect and alert the Fire and Rescue Service to fires."

Most shops at World of Water will be open as normal today. 

The fire is thought to have been an accident but further investigations are being carried out by fire crews.