A blaze in a disused bus station in Colchester was started deliberately, according to the fire service.

Firefighters were called to the Queen Street bus station in the town around 2.30pm and found 15 square meters of discarded materials alight and the derelict building heavily smoke logged.

Two crews from Colchester worked hard to ensure the fire was extinguished quickly and did not spread to properties neighbouring the one-storey building.

The blaze was extinguished by 2.58pm and crews stayed at the scene for around 30 minutes to eliminate remaining hot spots and ventilate the building.

A spokesman for Essex Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the fire has been recorded as deliberate.