THE historic former EMD cinema in Walthamstow has been damaged in a fire.

Firefighters were called to the listed building, in Hoe Street, at 7.13am this morning (Friday July 20).

The blaze was brought under control at around 8.30am.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said there had been a small amount of damage to the building's roof.

There is no visible damage of the building from street level.

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire.

Religious group the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) recently applied for planning permission to convert the building into a place of worship with a six-screen cinema.

It has been derelict since 2003 when the UCKG bought and closed the building.

The group recently repainted the outside of the building and the adjacent Victoria pub.

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