A TEENAGER has been arrested in connection with a fire that forced a church and homeless shelter to shut over Christmas.

On Saturday, December 22, Heaton Park Methodist Church, in Bury Old Road, was targeted by vandals who smashed windows and stole valuables before fleeing the scene before the blaze began.

Fire caused significant damage to the building, which only recently celebrated its 90th anniversary but is now expected to require expensive repairs.

Police have now arrested a boy, aged 14, who remains in custody for questioning.

Chief inspector Phil Spurgeon of GMP’s Bury Division said: “This crime shocked the community just before the church should have been looking forward to Christmas celebrations.

“This was a despicable incident and there was justifiably a great deal of anger among local people, and the wider public of Greater Manchester.

“While we now have one person in custody, I’d like to stress that our enquiries remain ongoing, and we’d still encourage people to contact police with any information they might have on this crime.”

Anybody with information should contact police on 0161 856 8172 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111