Two boys arrested over arson at disused convent

Two boys have been arrested over a suspected arson at a disused convent in East Sussex, police have said.

Emergency services were called to a fire at the College Of The Holy Child Jesus in Magdalen Road, St Leonards, shortly after 17:00 BST on Thursday.

Sussex Police said the suspects were aged 13 and 14 and from the local area, and had been taken into custody.

A spokesperson for the force said Magdalen Road and adjoining streets remained closed on Friday, and advised motorists to seek alternative routes.

It is believed the fire broke out on the third floor of the former Catholic college, which closed in 1976.

It was later used as a language school before falling into disrepair, although its chapel remains Grade II listed.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) said it was continuing to "damp down multiple hot spots" at the scene on Friday afternoon.

Katie Cornhill is ESFRS's group manager and also works on its protection team, which focuses on fire safety regulations in buildings.

"We've been checking into the site's records to see if any asbestos is present," she said.

"Given the building's age we're working on the assumption there may be some."

Adding that ESFRS has been working closely with the UK Health Security Agency for advice, Cornhill reassured nearby residents that one-off or short-term exposure to fires involving asbestos constituted a "negligible health risk", and that any "harmful fibres would have been burned away" in the blaze.

However, she urged those neighbouring the convent not to interfere with any dust that may have settled on their properties or cars as a result of the fire and to "let nature take its course".

In a joint statement on Friday evening, Hastings Borough Council leader, Councillor Glenn Haffenden, and Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings and Rye, said the site owner's representative has agreed to "urgently install additional and extensive security measures".

This includes "a 10ft (3m) high wall around its perimeter" and "extra round-the-clock protection", the progress of which would be "closely monitored" by HBC.

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