Detectives are investigating after firebugs torched a derelict pub in Paisley.
Vandals targeted the former Cottage Arms boozer in the town’s Mossvale Lane in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Fire crews raced to the pub around 1.10am after reports it had gone up in flames.
An initial investigation by the firefighters established that the blaze was started deliberately and a formal police probe was launched.
The pub has not been open for several years and had fallen into disrepair.
Officers have been scouring CCTV and quizzing people in the area in a bid to identify suspects.
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Detective Inspector Ian Ross, from Paisley CID, has appealed for witnesses to come forward.
He said: “The Cottage Arms pub was deliberately set on fire in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“This was a reckless and potentially dangerous act and we are very keen to trace whoever was responsible.
“We are carrying out enquires in an effort to identify the individual or individuals responsible.
“Police were alerted by colleagues in The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service about the incident at around 1.10am.
He added: “We are appealing to anyone who may have saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area around that time to come forward to police.
“Similarly, if you were driving in the area I would ask you to check dashcam footage to see if you captured anything which may be useful to our investigation.”
Meanwhile, police are also hunting a man spotted carrying a machete in a Paisley street.
Officers were called to the town’s McKerrell Street around 1.45am on Saturday morning but were unable to trace the blade-wielding yob.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “If you have any information in relation to this incident then we would ask you to call police immediately.”
Express readers with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
