Three held after sports club fire

Police said the fire caused about £1m of damage

Police have arrested three 19-year-olds on suspicion of arson after a fire gutted a sports centre in Stourport.

Stourport Sports Club in Kingsway, which is by the town's main high school, was destroyed by the fire which started at about 0300 GMT.

Firefighters using four appliances spent several hours tackling the blaze. A nearby car was also damaged.

The three men, all from Kidderminster, are in custody helping with police inquiries, West Mercia Police said.

Sgt Adrian Maiden, of Kidderminster Police, said two security officers called to attend an intruder alarm at the sports club discovered a bin outside on fire.

"The first police officers on the scene used fire extinguishers from their vehicle in a bid to tackle the bin fire but were unable to prevent it spreading to the sports centre and the building was destroyed," he said.

'Valued facility'

Headteacher Liz Quinn said Stourport High School was open and they were trying to minimise disruption.

Councillor Marcus Hart, of Wyre Forest District Council, said: "Obviously it is very distressing to see this popular club burned down, as it provides such a valued facility for the community.

"We are working hard to minimise disruption to local teams and their matches over the coming days."

He said anyone with existing sports fixtures should turn up as usual to use the artificial turf surfaces and changing room facilities were being provided by Stourport High School in the short-term.