Huge barn fire in County Durham treated as arson

Police are investigating an arson attack at a farm in County Durham.

A farmer has spoken of the 'devastating' blaze in one of his barns.

David Walker, 65, could only look on as 400 bales of straw, a tractor, trailer, fertiliser spreader and a bin of grain were engulfed in flames and completely destroyed.

It happened on November 22 at Satley Farm near Lanchester.

The fire took dozens of firefighters more than 24 hours to put out. The flames were only feet away from a barn containing cattle which managed to remain unscathed.

Mr Walker said:

The family-run farm has been passed down from generations when Mr Walker’s great-grandfather first took residence in 1880.

A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: