THE cause of a fire which seriously damaged the Grade II-listed Alston Hall remains under investigation.

Police and the fire service launched a joint investigation into how the blaze started earlier this month.

Pending the results of that a decision will then be made whether to take criminal action against an individual or individuals.

The blaze on March 15 ripped through a 19th Century mansion near Longridge, which was under renovation and a large section of the Gothic-style building was destroyed.

Around 75 firefighters tackled the blaze after the alert was raised at 10.40pm.

There were no injuries reported as a result of the fire and no arrests have been made.

A police spokesman said: “We are continuing to work with the fire service to investigate the cause of the fire.”

A fire service spokesman added: “The cause of the fire is still under investigation.”