DETECTIVES have launched a witness appeal after arsonists targeted a chip shop in Widnes.
At around 2am yesterday morning, two men climbed over the fence outside Widnes Fish Bar on Lower House Lane.
They then smashed a ground floor window at the side of the chip shop, before pouring in an accelerant and setting fire to it.
At that point the men fled in the direction of Hood Lane.
Detective Constable Chris Sheffield, of Widnes CID, said: "Arson is an extremely serious offence – people can die as a result of fires being started deliberately.
"Thankfully, in this instance the fire was quickly extinguished before it was able to take hold.
"However, the consequences of the arson attack could have been a lot worse than they were and we are committed to doing all that we can to trace the people responsible and bring them to justice.
"Enquiries into the incident are ongoing and I urge anyone who saw what happened or witnessed anything suspicious in the area to get in touch with the team here at Widnes.
"We also want to hear from anyone who believes they may have CCTV or dashcam footage that could be relevant to our investigation."
Anyone with information or CCTV footage that may help detectives with their ongoing investigation should call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, quoting IML 426769, give the details via
https://cheshire.police.uk/contact/general-enquiriesor contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
To submit dashcam footage go online at
www.cheshire.police.uk/advice-and-support/roads-and-vehicle-safety/submit-dashcam-footage.
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