Fire at derelict cottage could have been deliberate (From Hereford Times)
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Fire at derelict cottage could have been deliberate
5:50pm Thursday 12th July 2012 in Ledbury
Fire at a derelict cottage due to be auctioned the following day may have been started deliberately.
Police and fire services were called to Monks Walk Cottage in Much Marcle, near Ledbury - which had been empty for at least five years - just after 11pm on Monday night.
Estate agent Alister Walshe of Stooke, Hill and Walshe, said the property was due to go under the hammer on Tuesday evening.
Mr Walshe said the cottage, which had a guide price of £350,000, will still be sold at a later date.
Fire station commander Kevin Williams said: “The fire had already taken hold as we arrived, with flames coming from the roof of the property and the roof collapsed into the first floor.”
West Mercia Police spokesman Chris Ammonds said officers are working with the fire service to establish the cause of the blaze, adding they believe it may have been started deliberately.
Anyone with information should call police on 0300 333 3000.
