Oxford's drop-in centre for the homeless will be closed for at least another two weeks after it was found that damage from a fire was more serious than expected.

The Gatehouse in St Michael's Street was damaged last weekend by a fire that started in a ladies toilet of the Gay and Lesbian Centre on the floor above.

The worst damage is to the Gay and Lesbian Centre, but the Gatehouse will be without water until the first floor is repaired, and without electricity until damage to the roof is fixed.

An assessor is expected to view the damage on the first floor and give an indication of how long the repairs will take when he visits the building today.

Gatehouse administrator Andrew Smith said: "It's very frustrating because we wanted to get up and running as soon as possible.

"There are some hungry people out there with nowhere to go between 5pm and 7pm."

The crisis has brought in messages of support and financial help.

One retired couple sent a cheque and a card for £25 saying: "We do hope you will very soon be able to to get back to offering the very valuable service you provide for so many needy people."

Firefighters are carrying out an investigation into the blaze, which they believe was caused by a discarded cigarette that had smouldered in the toilet since Saturday night when a function was held.