MORE than 100 firefighters were called after a fire broke out at a thatched cottage belonging to the south Oxfordshire family of a TV soap star.

Fire crews were called at 8pm on Saturday to The Shallows, in Bolney Road, Shiplake, near Henley.

The blaze started in the roof of the eight-bedroom house owned by the family of Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian.

The ten occupants escaped before fire crews arrived, and an investigation into the cause is under way.

Nobody was hurt in the incident. Firefighters worked through the night to bring the flames under control, but the detached two-storey cottage was destroyed.

Ms Bastian plays Becca in the Channel 4 series. The cottage was owned by her father Nick, who lives there with his partner Mary.