A fire was started deliberately under an apartment block in Weymouth, according to police.

Emergency crews reported to an incident reported around 1.54am on Saturday, April 27 of a fire in a communal storage area under an apartment block in Greenhill, Weymouth.

According to Dorset and Wiltshire Fire, the incident involved two wheelie bins in the ground floor storage area. 

The fire was extinguished before police and fire crews liaised with each other to determine that the fire was started deliberately.

Police are appealing for relevant video footage to aid in their investigation.

Detective Constable Rob Hoskins, of Dorset County CID, said: “This fire was started in a storage area beneath a residential building and therefore could have had extremely serious consequences.

“We are carrying out detailed enquiries into the circumstances of this incident and I would urge anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area during the early hours of Saturday 27 April 2024 to please contact us.

“I would also like to hear from anyone who may have captured any relevant footage on home CCTV systems, doorbell cameras or dashcams.”

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire said: "We received a call at 1.54am on Saturday, April 27 about a property fire on Greenhill, Weymouth.

"Two crews from Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester attended the incident which involved two wheelie bins in a ground floor bin storage area. Four breathing apparatus wearers used two hose reel jets to extinguish the fire."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55240062140. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.