Deliberate fire suspected at former town hall

A fire at a former theatre and town hall on the Isle of Wight where flames were seen raging through its upper-floor windows was started on purpose, the fire service has said.

Firefighters from across the island tackled the blaze on Lind Street in Ryde overnight after it broke out on Wednesday at about 23:30 BST.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service said the fire, that had spread to the roof, was brought under control in the early hours with crews from Cowes and East Cowes monitoring the building and dampening down remaining hotspots.

People living nearby were urged to keep doors and windows closed due to the smoke and stay away from the area.

The Grade II listed building near the town's seafront and pier closed as a theatre in 2010 - it was put up for auction in December.