The owner of the Homebase building in Liskeard, which was severely damaged by fire five weeks ago, says it could be another six months before the DIY store is open again.

Tony Lawson, who owns the land known as The Bubble on the edge of Liskeard, along with the Homebase, Argos and Pets At Home properties, says he is very mindful that the store is integral to that part of the town.

'The three businesses all attract trade to one another, so it is important that Homebase resumes business as soon as can be possible,' he said.

Mr Lawson, who is based in Hampshire, has employed James Lockyer Associates, civil and structural engineering consultants of Liskeard, to carry out the inspection of the building and to prepare a report for his insurers.

'We will then know the extent of the repairs which are needed,' he said.

'Already we know that part or the whole roof will have to be replaced, and a total refurbishment will be needed inside. Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of stock was lost due to a significant amount of smoke damage, and there was further damage to various parts of the building stemming from the fire which was caused by an electrical fault.

'I am keen to get the site back up to speed and I would hazard a guess that it will be fully operational within six months at the most.'

Mr Lawson added that prior to the fire the store had been trading very well along with the other two businesses. He said the Pets at Home store was in the top 10 per cent in the country.

The owner of the Bubble Site land since 1989, with the commercial interest running for the last seven years, Mr Lawson said that far from taking trade away from Liskeard, he believed that the edge-of-town complex attracted people to the town.