Man arrested over Bognor pier arson

The 32-year-old male is in custody this morning waiting to be interviewed by police officers in relation to the fire.

The blaze wrecked a storage room on the pier used for keeping paint, tools and other maintenance equipment.

It was started in a wheelie bin on the western side of the pier building at 1.55am today (April 29).

The container, full of paper for recycling, was underneath the fire escape from the pier's upper floor.

Firefighters from Bognor soon attended. Their prompt action stopped the blaze causing more damage to the grade two listed building.

Fire investigation officers and police officers are still at the scene for further examinations.

Pier owner John Ayers said: "The storage room is completely unusable. It's a bit of a mess.

"The wheele bin has also totally disappeared. But the fire could have been a lot worse.

"I will repair the room once I have talked to my insurance company.

"There is a little bit of smoke damage to some of the pier but the fire was caught just in time."

He said he believed the alleged arsonist was caught by one of the CCTV cameras along the seafront. A passer by raised the alarm, he added.