A Lanarkshire police office has been forced to close to the public as a result of a huge fire in the area.
The blaze last night on King Street in Rutherglen, which lasted for several hours, saw some nearby residents evacuated from their homes to spend the night in Rutherglen Town Hall.
Firefighters brought the incident under control in the early hours of this morning, after eyewitnesses claimed the roof of the former council property, previously a social work building, had caved in due to the damage.
Locals are currently being told to avoid the area and those living there are advised to keep their windows closed throughout the day, while some residents said they felt lucky that a "catastrophe" was avoided, given a petrol station is near the building.
Cops at the local police office, which is also on King Street, have been forced to close their premises today as a result.
A source told Lanarkshire Live : "Due to the fire on King Street at 11.30pm on Thursday night, Rutherglen Police Office will be closed to the public today.
"Anyone looking to contact Police should attend their next nearest police office or call us via 101."
Horrified locals had taken to social media to express concern after the fire started last night.
One local stated: "It was scary stuff. It could have been catastrophic with the petrol station next door."
Another added: "The noise woke us up and we called the fire brigade straight away. It felt like it took them forever to get there."
Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey told us : "Very worrying and sad to see the fire overnight at the old social work building on King Street, Rutherglen.
"Thankfully, there have been no casualties reported.
"I’d like to thank our emergency services for their swift efforts. If anyone needs assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office on clare.haughey.msp@parliament.scot or call 0141 561 5131 ."
Rutherglen Central and North councillor Janine Calikes also offered assistance to anyone affected by the fire.
She said: " Really stunned to see the images of the huge fire on King Street, but reassured to see lots of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service officers in attendance and hearing anecdotal reports that things appear to be under control.
"No doubt we'll find out more in the next day or so. Grateful to SFRS and other attenders at the scene.
"If I can be of any assistance to anybody affected please let me know."
South Lanarkshire Council previously owned the building, but it passed out of their control several years ago.
A council spokesman said: "“When we were alerted to the fire in former council offices on King St, Rutherglen we assisted SFRS.
"As some residents had to be evacuated, we arranged for Rutherglen Town Hall to be opened as a rest centre and a small number had to be accommodated for the night.
"Some roads remain closed, and officers will be active in the area to provide further assistance as required.”
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