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Three teens charged with arson after chapel fire

Michael Wilkinson An aerial view of a building well alight with several fire engines parked up and firefighters spraying water on to the flames.Michael Wilkinson
The Grade II listed chapel was being turned into a hotel at the time of the blaze

Three teenagers have been charged with arson in connection with a fire at a former church.

The interior and some external walls of the Grade II listed Wesley Chapel in Hartlepool were damaged on 7 November 2023.

The boys, who are all 15 years old, will appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court on 8 January.

Work had been under way to redevelop the church, in Victoria Road, into a luxury hotel, when the fire broke out.

Hartlepool Borough Council An exterior view of the Wesley Chapel in Hartlepool a large Victorian building but in some state of delapitation Hartlepool Borough Council
The Wesley Chapel had been described as a heritage asset for Hartlepool

The chapel, which was built in 1873, had been described as a heritage asset for Hartlepool.

It was also damaged in a fire in 2017.

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