A furniture shop has been destroyed after a deliberate fire in a coastal town. 

Firefighters were called to the blaze in High Street in Clacton at about 11.24pm on Sunday, October 8. 

On arrival, crews found a fire at the rear of the property - a second-hand furniture store - which was fully alight. 

Watch manager Simon Tarrant said: “There was a lot of unsafe storage at the back of the building which had caught alight. 

“The crews did a great job at extinguishing the fire quickly, as the flames were high and starting to reach neighbouring flats.

“Unfortunately the shop has been left with significant smoke damage. A fire investigation was carried out following the incident and we believe the fire was started deliberately.”