Officers have detained a man suspected of starting a fire at a Chatham business.

In the early hours of Monday 5 September 2022, a fire was reported in a bin near a public house at the Dockside Shopping Centre.

The blaze was extinguished by Kent Fire and Rescue Service and patrols were later called to a report of a man acting suspiciously near the scene.

Arrest 

Constables located a suspect who was arrested and taken into custody.

Lewis Walters, of Darnley Road, Strood, was later charged with arson. Investigators also charged him with a burglary on 12 August, where a charity box was stolen, and criminal damage to a door lock on 2 August – both at the same public house.

The 21-year-old will next appear before Medway Magistrates’ Court on 28 September.

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