A THRIVING bowls club has been devastated by a suspected arson attack, which caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to its clubhouse.

Officials of Fishburn Working Men's Bowls Club are sifting through the remains of the building after the blaze on Tuesday evening.

Club officers rushed to the scene and firefighters struggled to bring the blaze under control, but the headquarters has been almost destroyed.

Bowls club secretary Keith Wilkes said: "We were at a meeting and got phoned up to say that the bowls club was on fire. When we got there it was well alight.

"We are all devastated about what has happened. There are lads who had a lot of gear in there, including their bowls, and everything's gone.

"We have just had a new watering system in, and all that has gone as well."

Mr Wilkes said members had worked hard to build the club up in recent years.

He said: "When I first joined the bowls club there was a lot of animosity, but now there is more harmony among the players.

"At one time, we only had about 12 members, but now we have got between 40 and 50, and we are even getting a lot of young people involved."

Christine Luke, a member of Fishburn Parish Council, said she was extremely upset by the blaze.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw it going up in flames, it was terrible," she said.

"It is not repairable, and it is going to cost a fortune just to pull it down.

"The bowls club have worked very hard to build it up on their own, and it is a real shame to see all the hard work go up in smoke."

Fire brigade officials estimated that about £60,000 worth of damage was caused to the building.

Police confirmed yesterday that the fire was probably started deliberately.

A spokesman for Durham police said: "We are treating it as arson and are appealing for anybody who might have seen anyone hanging around on Monday evening to get in touch."

Anyone with any information about the fire, which is thought to have started at about 6.30pm, should contact police on (01325) 314401.