A FARMER today blasted sick' arsonists who set fire to kennels killing seven dogs and said: "I can't understand why anyone would do this."

Tearful James Blake, 38, said he was devastated by the deaths of the five border terriers and two sheepdogs who died in the attack last night.

Terriers Tim, 10, Topsy, seven, her two pups Jazz and Misty, three, and Biscuit, 10 months were killed along with the farm dogs when firebugs torched their kennels at Heckenhurst Farm, Worsthorne, shortly before 10pm.

The alarm was raised by a neighbour who spotted the blaze and called the fire brigade but they arrived too late to save the animals.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but Mr Blake said he had been told by fire crews that the blaze was likely to be arson.

He said: "I cannot believe what has happened.

"We used to go round the shows in the summer with the terriers and now they are gone.

"I just don't understand why anyone would want to do something like this. Why not just set fire to something like a shed or something that doesn't really matter.

"To set alight to somewhere where there are helpless animals inside is just sick.

"I am so upset at the moment I just don't know whether we will get any more dogs to replace these."

Mr Blake said the farm was under renovation and was empty at the time of the blaze.

A spokesman for Lancashire fire and rescue said: "We were called to the farm at about 10pm last night but we had to drive round looking for the exact location before we found where the fire was.

"By the time we arrived the dogs were sadly deceased."