A fire that gutted Eastbourne Pier is now being treated as a potential arson attack, police announced yesterday.

About 80 firefighters tacked the blaze on the Grade II listed Victorian attraction on Wednesday, which left part of it a scorched shell.

Previously its cause was not treated as suspicious but now Sussex Police say they have new information suggesting the blaze on the 144-year-old structure “may have been started by someone, either deliberately or accidentally.”