A garden centre is about to rise from the ashes thanks to a £4 million re-build which will make it one of the biggest in the country - and create an extra 50 jobs.

Construction work is already underway on the new gardening 'village' at Tong Garden Centre in Tong Lane, Tong, Bradford, which was virtually destroyed by fire last September.

The building's steel infrastructure is already in place and Anthony Harker, 30, who runs the business with his father Ron and brother Stuart, said he hopes to open its doors to the public by early November.

About 150 people will be employed at the centre where eco-friendly design features include using rainwater piped from massive storage tanks collected from giant gutters.

There will also be a plaque in the front entrance in memory of Anthony's mother Nita Harker who died aged 55 from cancer only weeks after the inferno.

The main building at the family-owned business was destroyed by the blaze last September after fire broke out in an office.

Anthony Harker, who was first on the scene of the blaze, yesterday praised the loyalty of his staff and customers in keeping the centre afloat as he inspected the site with Mick Mosley of main building contractors Henry Boot.

He said: "After the fire it surprised us because we thought we would lose a tremendous amount of business.

"We only had a fifth of the floor space but at least 80 per cent of customers kept on coming through the doors. They sent letters of support and the response from everyone was just incredible."

Mr Harker recalled the "unbelievable" night he watched his business burn down in front of his eyes.

He said: "I'd got a phone call saying the alarm had gone off at the centre but I didn't think too much about it.

"Then three or four minutes later I got a call from the police saying the garden centre was on fire.

"When I came over the brow of the hill I could see the scale of the fire - I couldn't see the garden centre, just the glow from the flames.

"It was a gut-wrenching feeling. To watch your life's work burning down in front of your eyes and you couldn't do anything about it - it was pretty horrific."

Initial reports suggested youths had been seen running away from the building but investigations by the police and the fire brigade revealed the cause was not suspicious.

Mick Mosley, North East regional manager for Henry Boot, said: "As gardening centres go this is very, very high spec, a real state-of-the-art gardening centre.

"The word is that it will be the fourth or fifth biggest in the country. It's certainly going to be the biggest in Yorkshire."

e-mail: charles.heslett

@bradford.newquest.co.uk