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Arson suspected after former golf club destroyed

News imageDorset Police A golf club building with boarded up windows with smoke billowing upwards and part of the roof destroyed.Dorset Police
At its height, about 40 firefighters tackled the blaze at the former Dudsbury Golf Club building

Police and fire service investigators suspect a large fire at a former golf club building was started deliberately.

The derelict Dudsbury Golf Club building in Christchurch Road near Ferndown was destroyed on Friday evening.

Dorset Police said after making initial inquiries with the fire service "the current assessment is that this fire was not started accidentally".

The force urged witnesses to come forward and nearby residents with doorbell or CCTV cameras and motorists with dashcams to check their footage. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

News imageFerndown Fire Station Rood alight with square clock tower with weathervane golfer silhouette on the top - flames are coming out from the sides of the clock.Ferndown Fire Station
A joint police and fire service investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing

The blaze was put out late on Saturday night.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said it still expected to revisit the site on a regular basis "for the next few days" as a precaution due to hotspots within the debris.

At its height, about 40 firefighters tackled the blaze.

The fire service said crews found the structure "well alight" on Friday evening with residents advised to keep doors and windows closed.

News imageDaniel Storr A golf club building with boarded up windows with smoke billowing upwards and part of the roof destroyed.Daniel Storr
The blaze in Christchurch Road, Longham, sent a plume of smoke across the surrounding area

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