THREE Winsford children have been arrested following a fire at Cheviot Square last week.

At approximately 4.30pm on Friday, July 29, officers were called to reports of a fire in the Cheviot Square area of Winsford.

Officers swiftly attended, along with firefighters and on arrival at the scene an unoccupied flat above a local convenience store was found alight.

Firefighters brought the fire under control and, after searching the premises, they were able to establish that nobody had been injured as a result of the fire.

Three Winsford boys, age 11, 13 and 15, have now been arrested in relation to the incident.

They were all held on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life; all three have since been released under investigation pending further enquiries.

Det Sgt Rob Astbury said: “This was a deliberate act which could have had very serious consequences. Thankfully on this occasion nobody was injured as the fire was spotted quickly and brought under control before it could spread to any neighbouring properties, however the circumstances could have been far worse.

“I would like to reassure local residents that this is an isolated incident, three local youths have already been arrested and we are not looking for anyone else in relation to the fire.”

Steve Barnes, from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, added: “With incidents like these it is only a matter of time before someone sustains serious injury or, worse, is killed. We work very closely with the police and other partner agencies to tackle this ongoing issue of deliberate fires and this will continue, but we also need residents to be aware and help us where they can.

“Arson is extremely dangerous, fire spreads quickly so what may seem like a small fire can easily become out of control. Not only do these fires put the lives of firefighters at risk, they also cause considerable danger to the public because responding to incidents of arson could delay firefighters in getting to a real emergency.

“What arsonists don't realise is that it could be their friends of family members who are in need of rescue in an emergency.”

Anyone with any information in relation to the fire is asked to contact Cheshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 490 of 28/7/2017.

Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.