Police are hunting arsonists who smashed through a chip shop window before setting the premises on fire.
The two men struck at well known chippy Paul's Fish Bar which has been in Widnes for more than 40 years.
Police say the men climbed over the fence outside the shop on Lower House Lane.
After smashing a ground floor window the men began "pouring in an accelerant and setting fire to it" around 2am on Thursday, June 13, Cheshire Police confirmed.
The fire-starters then fled in the direction of Hood Lane.
Fortunately the fire was extinguished swiftly before taking hold.
The chip shop remains open as normal.
Detectives are now appealing for information and anyone who witnessed the arson attack to come forward.
Detective Constable Chris Sheffield, of Widnes CID, said: “Arson is an extremely serious offence – people can die as a result of fires being started deliberately.
“Thankfully, in this instance the fire was quickly extinguished before it was able to take hold.
“However, the consequences of the arson attack could have been a lot worse than they were and we are committed to doing all that we can to trace the people responsible and bring them to justice."
He added: "Enquiries into the incident are ongoing and I urge anyone who saw what happened or witnessed anything suspicious in the area to get in touch with the team here at Widnes.
“We also want to hear from anyone who believes they may have CCTV or dashcam footage that could be relevant to our investigation.”
Anyone with information or CCTV footage that may help detectives with their ongoing investigation should call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, quoting IML 426769, give the details via https://cheshire.police.uk/contact/general-enquiries or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
To submit dashcam footage you can do it online HERE .
Amazon Alexa
You can now tune in to the Liverpool Echo's early-morning news headlines on the Amazon Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices.
Click on this link and then open up the Echo's briefing service in the Amazon Alexa app.
