PANICKING shoppers fled from a packed Lancaster store yesterday afternoon as a suspected arsonist struck for the third time in three days. The latest incident, in the Littlewoods store in Marketgate caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to clothes and shop fittings before staff and firefighters brought the blaze under control. Stores in the city centre had already been put on red alert earlier in the week following a series of arson attacks at Marks & Spencer and British Home Stores.

The latest attack at Littlewoods also left part of the ground floor in the children's department damaged by water after sprinklers were activated.

Littlewoods manager Kate Douglas said: "As a result of the fires at other stores a fire officer came into the store today to remind staff how use fire extinguishers which proved very useful."

As the Citizen went to press, staff at Littlewoods were busy clearing up the mess in a bid to open the store as usual for business.

Earlier this week shoppers at Marks & Spencer and BHS were hurriedly ushered out of the stores where a total of £1,200 worth of clothes were destroyed.

Marks & Spencer finance manager Linda Aitchison said: "Some customers spotted the fire in the children's department and we put everyone on red alert straight away.

"We managed to clear the store according to our strict safety procedures within minutes.

"This incident is obviously very alarming for traders in Lancaster's town centre and I hope another incident like this doesn't happen again."

A spokesman for BHS explained a customer spotted the fire in the adults section and an employee put the fire out with an extinguisher.

Lancaster CID have launched an inquiry into the incidents and want to speak to a woman who was caught on film by closed circuit television cameras in Marks & Spencers.

Det Insp Paul Mattinson said: "We are looking at the possibility that all three incidents are connected. At the moment we have no reason to believe that the incidents are the work of activists.

"We would like to speak to a woman aged between 40 and 50 with curly hair who was wearing a dark jacket so that we can eliminate her from our enquiries."

Firefighters start the clearing up operation at the Littlewoods store

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