Civic leaders are stressing that Great Yarmouth remains open for business as emergency services scale back their presence in the town following a major fire on Friday.

All road closures have now been lifted bar Regent Road, part of Albion Road and Saxon Road. Four fire appliances remain at the scene and there will be a fire and rescue presence throughout the night to ensure the site remains safe.

The pedestrianised section of Regent Road, between Nelson Road Central and Alexandra Road, will also remain cordoned off and closed until further notice.

A fire investigation is now underway into the blaze at the Regent Superbowl and indoor market on Regent Road but it is too early to speculate what caused the blaze.

Norfolk County Council's Chairman of Communities, Margaret Dewsbury said: 'My heart goes out to all the businesses that were affected by the fire this morning. Great Yarmouth is a resilient town and I am sure it will continue to be a thriving place to visit and to do business. With the weather set fair this weekend, Great Yarmouth deserves everyone's support.'

Graham Plant, Leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council and County Councillor for Gorleston St Andrews Division said: 'Now that the clear up is underway and the roads are re-opening, Great Yarmouth will continue welcoming tourists and day trippers to our popular seaside resort.

'Huge thanks must go to all local residents and businesses for their support at this time when thousands of people are heading to the area for their summer holidays. The loss of a section of Regent Road is a blow, but visitors will still find plenty of other attractions and amenities to enjoy along the rest of Regent Road, on the seafront and in the wider Greater Yarmouth area.'

A spokesman for Great Yarmouth Borough Council said businesses within the cordoned-off area of Regent Road will be unable to open until further notice.

Meanwhile, people will not be able to access their homes from the front, if it is within the cordoned-off area.

UK Power Networks has been working to restore power to homes that are currently without electricity.

County Councillor, Mick Castle, who represents Great Yarmouth North and Central, said: 'I am very pleased that this very difficult fire was dealt with successfully and I hope the local community and Norfolk people generally will continue to rally round and support our tourism businesses at this time.'

County Councillor, Rex Parkinson-Hare, who represents Yarmouth Nelson and Southtown, said: 'The fire service managed to quell the fire successfully and no-one was hurt which was a bonus. They have done their job very efficiently as usual.'

Greg Preston, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service's Group Manager and Incident Command Assessor said: 'This was a very significant fire which took place in the heart of Great Yarmouth, however, all the emergency services involved have dealt with the blaze very quickly and have managed to contain disruption to a minimum which is most important for a town welcoming tourists during such a busy time of year.'

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service were called to the scene at 03:26 where residents nearby had to be evacuated to a rest centre organised by Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

Fire crews from Norfolk and Suffolk attended the blaze with up to 21 appliances at the scene with up to 100 firefighters involved. Nobody was injured in the fire.