A BLAZE believed to have been deliberately started has wrecked a school swimming pool.

Police are investigating the fire at Hartlepool Sixth Form College, in Blakelock Road, which began about 9.30pm on Friday.

The pool is regularly visited by other schools in the town and is used for galas and swimming lessons.

College staff say the pool has been targeted a number of times in the past few months.

Site manager Derek Wallis was on the scene quickly to witness the destruction caused by suspected arsonists.

He said: "There is a local gang of kids who keep breaking into it and trashing it. It is terrible for the children who use it."

When firefighters arrived they discovered the wooden panelling around the pool and on the roof was alight and emitting a thick brown smoke.

Hartlepool Station Officer Les Love said: "There was a danger to the crews of roof collapse. Another complication was that the place was full of smoke and there was a small 6in high wall around the edge of the pool, so there was a chance someone could have fallen in."

The pool area of the building was severely damaged by the blaze with the remainder of the site damaged by smoke.