Report by STUART DYE

ARSONISTS are being blamed for a fire that ripped through a Winsford office - causing £5,000 damage.

Fire crews were called out to the blaze in an old timber office building at Joseph Finney, in Grange Lane, last Thursday, October 27.

Paperwork and tools were stored in the building which was completely gutted by the fire at 5.52pm.

It took firefighters over an hour to put out the blaze.

Company director Martin Finney said: "Vandals are continually breaking into the building and sniffing glue and taking drugs.

"We have boarded up the building several times, but the kids keep getting in. This has cost about £5,000 damage and the building is going to have to be bulldozed."

Leading Firefighter Bob Millington agreed with Mr Finney saying: "Kids have been seen hanging around the area and we are sure the blaze was maliciously ignited."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.