POLICE are investigating an arson attack which destroyed a large part of Dunston Staithes - an historic wooden structure on the Tyne.

Seventeen fire engines and a fireboat were called to tackle the fire, which broke out in the early hours of yesterday.

A fire brigade spokesman said: "This was a huge operation for us and a lot of firefighters and support staff were involved."

Firefighters, from Durham, Darlington and Northumberland were unable to take the engines to the site and so had to run out their hoses for about 300 metres to the muddy riverbank.

The staithes, at the point where the River Team enters the River Tyne, is reputedly the largest wooden structure in Europe.

Constructed in 1890 by the North Eastern Railway Company for the purpose of loading Durham coal into ships, the staithes protrude into the River Tyne for 1,709ft and run parallel to the river bank forming a large tidal basin in which ships once moored.

In 1990, the listed staithes were given a £1m facelift and rebuilt as part of the National Garden Festival.

Police and the fire brigade have mounted a joint investigation and were last night studying CCTV footage for clues about how the fire started

An initial inspection of the staithes revealed that up to 30 per cent of the structure had been damaged.