The CUTTY SARK the famous preserved tea and wool clipper has suffered a fire in her dock in London.

Fire crews rushed to the vessel after a call was made just before 5 am this morning.

Eight fire engines and around 40 firefighters fought the fire at Greenwich and London Fire Brigade said the whole of the three-deck vessel, which has been recently undergoing refurbishment, has been damaged by the blaze.

The chief executive of the Cutty Sark Trust, Richard Doughty told BBC news that he was 'shocked' and feared for the state of the ship's original ironwork and timbers.

The famous vessel was undergoing restoration and is not open to the public whilst this work is being done.

The damage was extensive but not as much as had been feared from looking at dramatic footage of the ship ablaze. About half of her timbers had been removed for renovation and were stored elsewhere.

Meanwhile police are anxious to speak to people seen on CCTV before the blaze. A police spokesman said they may well just be witnesses but that they are treating the cause of the fire as suspicious.

The ship was built in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869.