INVESTIGATORS have confirmed the a fire which ripped through the top floor of Southend High Street's H&M was started accidentally. 

Nine crews were called the scene yesterday shortly after 6pm. 

Firefighters spent two hours tackling the blaze and have now noted the cause as "accidental". 

An H&M spokeswoman said: “Shortly after 6pm [yesterday] Essex County Fire and Rescue were called to our Southend High Street store to tackle a fire.

"The H&M team followed safety procedures and safely evacuated all customers and colleagues from the premises.

"We are pleased to confirm that nobody was injured as a result of this incident.

"We would like to thank the emergency services for their quick response to this incident."

The spokeswoman added t he store is now open and trading solely from the ground floor.