Major damage has been caused to the rear of the community centre

An arson investigation has been launched by police after a fire at a Preston community centre.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service called in Lancashire Police after tackling the blaxe at the Community Link Centre on Starrgate Drive in Ashton-on-Ribble.

Police are appealing for information as they believe the fire started when a bench outside the centre was set alight.

The incident happened around 10pm on Thursday. The flames from the bench spread to the rest of the building and caused severe damage to the rear of the community centre.

Fortunately no one was in the building at the time.

PS Michelle Doughty of Lea Police said: “We believe this fire may have been started deliberately and I would urge anyone who has any information or saw anybody acting suspiciously in the area at the time of the incident to contact us.”

Anyone with information can contact us on 101. Alternatively they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.