House damaged in arson attack

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.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Thames Valley Police
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites