They said a door at Ciao Italia had been forced open and the kitchen set on fire.

I can confirm that there are signs of a forced entry to the back door, said DC Lowe, the officer in charge of the investigation.

But at present the fire is still being treated as suspicious because we do not know how it started.

Yesterday (Tuesday) restaurant owner Tony Spada said that he had reported an attempted break-in three weeks before the fire to police.

We told them that someone had tried to get in the back door, he said. They came to check and confirmed that the back door had been tampered with.

Mr Spada, who was away on business when fire swept through the restaurant, received the bad news in an early morning phone call from the manager.

Upstairs is in ruins, said Mr Spada. The roof has gone. Tables and chairs are destroyed. Even the fish are dead.

The first floor of the restaurant was destroyed in the blaze.

But the Piano Bar at the back of the restaurant was only slightly damaged by smoke.

Staff have cleaned it up and it will re-open tonight (Wednesday).

We have had permission from the council to open the bar, said Mr Spada. But the rest of the building will stay closed to be on the safe side.

A reduced menu from Ciao Italia will be available and Mr Spada hopes the restaurant will re-open before Christmas.