Appeal for information following arson in St Helens

We are appealing for information following a suspected arson in St Helens yesterday, Monday 29 April.

At around 4pm, a fire was reported to emergency services inside a row of garages located within the grounds of St Theresa’s Church, on Gartons Lane.

A window of the church was also found to have been smashed.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) attended and distinguished the fire, which caused significant damage to the garages, but thankfully no one was hurt during the incident.

A joint MFRS and police investigation is underway to establish the cause of the fire, but it is suspected to be deliberate ignition.

We are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to please get in touch to help our ongoing investigation.

Detective Inspector Jimmy Rotheram said: “It’s truly shocking that a church, which is such a valued resource and focal point for the community, has been targeted in this way.

“It's completely mindless and will now take a lot of time and money to carry out repair work to the garages and also the smashed church window.

“To deliberately start a fire is incredibly dangerous and this incident could have been a lot worse.

“I would appeal to anyone who has information to contact us so we can find those responsible."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC. You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 24000394209 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.