A bird hide at a nature reserve near St Neots was set on fire this morning.

Firefighters from St Neots were sent to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, in Little Paxton, at 5.15am after the hide was set on fire deliberately.

The fire was out by 6.35am.

Watch commander Jon-Paul Jones, incident commander at the scene, said: “Sadly the fire got hold of the bird hide quickly and burned it to the ground. Our investigation concluded that the fire was started deliberately.

“Malicious fires have a significant impact on local communities and cause thousands of pounds worth of damage. We urge residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to deliberate fire setting.”

INFORMATION: Contact Cambridgeshire police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.