A PUBLIC house in Church is to remain closed for several weeks while brewery bosses determine the extent of damage caused by an arson attack.

Police are also investigating the attack on The Thorn, St James Street, days after two burglaries at the premises.

Firefighters were called to the Daniel Thwaites pub after a fire was started in the pool room by vandals who broke down the back door.

The room was severely damaged and all of its contents destroyed.

Further damage was caused throughout the ground and first floor by the heat and smoke. Police have appealed for witnesses to the arson and to two burglaries on Thursday March 7 and Saturday March 9.

In the first break-in burglars took fruit machines, cigarette machines and optics from behind the bar.

Two days later, after the landlord left the pub and Thwaites boarded it up, there was another break-in. More spirits bottles and tables were taken.

PS Paul Broxson said: "The first burglary was the final straw for the landlord who had had problems previously and he left the pub.

"It was then boarded up by the brewery but was broken into again.

"The people who did these burglaries would have needed a sizeable vehicle, possibly a van, to remove this amount of property.

"The pub is on a very quiet estate and there are houses on almost every side, so it possible someone saw something.

"I would ask anyone who did witness any of the incidents to call the police in confidence.

Pub bosses and insurance assessors are still looking into the situation to determine the full extent of damage and how much refurbishment will be necessary to reopen the pub.