Arsonists wreck house

A SEAFORD man escaped from his bedroom by a ladder when his home was set ablaze by arsonists.

Neil Radford was asleep upstairs at his home in East Dean Rise at around 11.30pm on Sunday when the fire was started. Fortunately a ladder was leaning against the front of the two storey house and he climbed to safety unharmed.

Two fire engines from Seaford and one from Roedean sped to the scene and firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, battled the flames.

A spokesman said: 'Fire investigation officers are treating the fire as suspicious and have handed it over to the police.'

Mr Radford has been at the centre of controversy over the mountains of rubbish dumped in his front garden. People have complained it is an eyesore and Lewes District Council has taken enforcement action for it to be removed.

As a result of the fire the garden is now even more of a mess, scattered with the remains of furniture from the house's gutted ground floor.

In April Mr Radford was ordered to clear-up the garden by June 8 or face prosecution. If he still fails to do so the council says it will clear the rubbish itself and bill him.

A council spokesman said: 'As he has just suffered a severe house fire and all his other effects are also now on the front lawn we will obviously take this into account before deciding on further action.'