Police are investigating following a fire which damaged an historic village factory which is believed to have been started deliberately.

Firefighters were called to Church Street in Coggeshall last Wednesday. Crews were responding to reports of a fire at the village’s Hollingtons factory at around 11.50pm.

Teams from Coggeshall and Tiptree were able to put out the fire in less than an hour.

An Essex Fire Service spokesman said: “We were called to a fire in a derelict building in Church Street, Coggeshall yesterday at 11.50pm.

"On-call crews from Coggeshall and Tiptree attended and fully extinguished the fire by 12.36am.

“The cause has been recorded as deliberate and the scene was left in the care of Essex Police.”

The Hollingtons factory was closed in 2013 and is currently disused.

Surrounded by Grade II listed properties, the factory has recently been earmarked for development.

Plans would see the former textile factory demolished and rebuilt to comply with current design standards and building regulations.

It comes amid concerns over the building’s safety, mainly roofing tiles being blown off by strong winds.

Residents close to the fire also say Essex Fire Service advised them to close their windows due to smoke and asbestos being present at the site.

Now Essex Police are investigating the incident.

A spokesman said: “We received a call at around 12.05am on February 10 regarding a fire at an address in Church Street, Coggeshall.

“We need anyone who saw anything or has any CCTV, dash cam, or doorbell footage to contact us.”

Anyone with information can call 101.