Arson attack on boat

The Anne Bonaventure of Hastings, the main safety boat for the Yacht Club until 2001, was gutted by the blaze.

The owner, an ex-lifeboat coxswain, now faces a bill of up to 17,000 to rebuild the vessel.

Fire crews were deployed shortly after midnight after thick smoke was spotted behind the Angling Club. But locked gates meant fire fighters struggled to access the boating compound. The fire was eventually extinguished after crews dashed around the fishing market on the Stade.

The club's boatman Norman Race said "It's a real shame because this boat has a lot of history.

"It got in the news when it was stuck under the pier in 1962. You can't find people to build boats like this anymore. The general thinking is that it's an arson attack.

"There's nothing on the boat that would cause it to catch fire under normal circumstances.

"We seem to have a lot of problems on this end of the beach, but it's difficult to find the culprits unless you have a camera or catch them red-handed."

A spokesman for the Fire Brigade said: "As far as we're concerned, the fire was started deliberately."

If anyone has any information about the fire, they should contact police on 0845 60 70 999.