Arsonists are believed to have started a fire which gutted a church hall just days before it was due to be bulldozed to make way for a new development.

Firefighters were called to St Mildred’s Church in Bingham Road, Addiscombe, just before 9.20pm on Sunday.

John Philillpson, project manager for the development and a member of the church council, said: “The hall was burnt to the ground, just a charred structure remains. The hall itself was due to be demolished the week after next anyway but it was a bit of an ungraceful end for a building that has served the community for the past 75 years.” He added: “Fortunately we had taken everything out of the building in the last two weeks.” St Mildred’s and developer Pegasus will build new community facilities for the church and a number of retirement flats on site. Firefighters spent two hours tackling the blaze and stopped it spreading to the two church halls on either side of the single-storey building. It is believed it was started deliberately.