A NUMBER of pigs were believed to be killed when a fire swept through a barn.
Half an hour before midnight on New Year's Eve, a blaze started at Old Park Terrace Farm, at Byers Green, near Spennymoor.
About 30 tonnes of baled hay caught alight in a timber shed at the small holding.
Efforts were made to rescue animals inside the building, but the farm workers were driven back by the intensity of the flames.
Police said that they believed several pigs died in the blaze which left the barn a burnt out wreck.
A team of firefighters spent more than 11 hours at the scene, as they let the blaze in the straw burn out.
Fire officers said they could not leave the barn for fear the smouldering hay would re-ignite.
Detectives said the blaze is being treated as suspicious and police are currently investigating.
Anyone with information should call Spennymoor Police on 01388 814411
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