ARSONISTS are thought to have caused a clothing factory fire which resulted in £20,000 worth of damage.

Rolls of materials used to make sportswear, including dozens of football strips for local teams, were destroyed in the blaze in a three-storey former bakery in Horden, east Durham, early on Tuesday.

Staff at Rossi Sports recently relocated to the former Kipling's Bakery building in Blackhills Road from factory premises in nearby Easington Colliery.

They have attempted to salvage stock which escaped the worst of the blaze. Workers were relieved to find expensive machinery undamaged in rooms next to where the fire started.

Police believe the blaze was started by someone pushing burning material through protective boards into the ground floor of the building.

Detective Sergeant Neville Carmen, of Peterlee CID, said it could have proved catastrophic if flames had spread from the end terrace building to nearby houses. He appealed for anyone in the area who may have seen any suspicious activity to contact police on 0191-586 2621.