House damaged in arson attack

The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire

A family home in Oxford has been damaged in an arson attack after someone broke in and lit a fire in the hallway, police said.

Officers were called to a suspicious fire in Lieden Road in the Wood Farm area just before 2200 BST on Tuesday night.

The house was unoccupied at the time and no-one was injured.

"The fire has led to substantial damage - the family cannot return home for weeks," Det Con Matt Welsh said.

"It appears this arson may have started out as a burglary, but for obvious reasons the family have not been able to enter the property yet and we can't confirm if anything has been stolen or not, " he added.

Fire investigation officers have examined the scene and are trying to establish what was used to start the fire.

Any witnesses are asked to contact police.