Leyland man arrested after cafe fire at Cuerden Valley Park

A Leyland man has been arrested on suspicion of causing a fire at a cafe in Cuerden Valley Park.
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The 38-year-old is in custody on suspicion of arson after a fire at Cuerden View cafe in the early hours of yesterday (Monday, September 27).

The force said the man was arrested after he was identified from CCTV footage.

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Note: Earlier today (Tuesday, September 28), a police post on Facebook reported that the man had been arrested after a fire at a different building in the park - The Barn visitor centre, run by The Wildlife Trust - but this has since been corrected after the Post sought clarification from Lancashire Police.

The 38-year-old is in custody on suspicion of arson after a fire at Cuerden View cafe near the park entrance in Berkeley Drive, Bamber BridgeThe 38-year-old is in custody on suspicion of arson after a fire at Cuerden View cafe near the park entrance in Berkeley Drive, Bamber Bridge
The 38-year-old is in custody on suspicion of arson after a fire at Cuerden View cafe near the park entrance in Berkeley Drive, Bamber Bridge

A police spokesman has provided an updated comment, saying: "You may have seen reports of a fire which started in the early hours of yesterday (Monday, September 27) at Cuerden View cafe in Bamber Bridge.

"You will be pleased to know this morning following CCTV enquiries, officers have identified and arrested a 38-year-old man from Leyland on suspicion of criminal damage - arson not endangering life.

"This was a concerning crime and we will update you when enquiries have progressed."

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The Cuerden View cafe has had to close due to the fire and management say it might remain closed for some time.

A park spokesman said: "Following a serious and suspicious last night (Monday, September 27) the Cafe, Visitor Centre and Office will be closed until further notice.

"Our thanks to Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service for responding quickly and limiting the damage. Police and Fire services are investigating the cause.

"Please bear with us as we look to rebuild and find new ways of providing facilities in the short term. Further updates will be made here and on our website."

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And on Facebook, staff at the cafe added: "Thank you to all our customers and friends of the cafe for all the messages of support and love.

"As a team we are truly devastated after the news of today's incident. We take pride in our beautiful cafe and we will be back soon."

If you have any information in relation to the fire, you can contact Lancashire Police on 101, quoting log 0143 of September 27.