A park shelter that was destroyed by fire will be rebuilt, a council has pledged.

Police have launched an arson investigation after the well-used shelter - which stood in Nicholas Everitt Park in Oulton Broad - was decimated by a blaze on Saturday morning (April 13).

Firefighters were called at around 5.34am and arrived to find the shelter well alight, with one crew from Lowestoft south fire station managing to extinguish the blaze within half an hour.

The remains of the shelter, which was beyond repair, have since been removed.

It is believed the fire was started deliberately and anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the area should contact Suffolk Police on 101, quoting incident number 57 of Saturday, April 13.

The structure was one of two identical shelters in the park and lies on the land of the Nicholas Everitt Park Trust, for which Oulton Broad Parish Council is the sole trustee.

At a meeting on Monday (April 15) night, the council unanimously agreed to rebuild the shelter.

A spokesman for the council said: 'The public's love of the park and these shelters is clear to see, and people have rightly expressed their upset when the fire destroyed one on Saturday.

'The Parish Council feels the same and is committed to rebuilding the shelter, so the view of the entrance and sunken gardens in our beautiful park is restored.'

The council has already held 'encouraging conversations' with local organisations, who have offered their support to help with the rebuild.

Lowestoft College have offered time and labour from its carpentry and bricklaying departments, while conversations are under way with a local timber merchant which has offered its support to supply the timber.

'Our talks with local people shows that community spirit is alive and well,' added the spokesman. 'We are thankful for the support offered so far and, while there is still a lot that needs to be organised, we are pushing forward to get the rebuild under way as soon as we can.'

If any other local suppliers or trades people are able to assist with materials or other support for the project, please contact the parish clerk on 01502 564289 or email clerk@obpc.uk.