Sir Robert McAlpine’s £360m Southgate shopping centre in Bath was evacuated after a fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon

Hundreds of construction workers and shoppers had to leave the building, which was believed to have had a timber-frame roof. The fire, thought to be caused by leaking hot asphalt, triggered a number of gas canisters to explode. Client Multi Development UK said a survey would be carried out over the next few days to ascertain the extent of the damage. Work was expected to resume by the end of the week.