A BRADSHAW pub was damaged in a suspected arson attack in the early hours of this morning.

The attack is believed to have taken place at The Crofters Bar and Restaurant in Bradshaw Road between 10.45pm on Wednesday night and 1.10am this morning.

Firefighters arrived at about 1.10am, and were at the scene for about four hours, where they were joined about 10 minutes later by police.

Police are investigating the fire and treating it as an arson attack, and were still at the scene this morning.

Gary Patterson, manager of the pub, said: “This is a massive blow — we had a lot of Christmas bookings, so this has come at a bad time.

“We were lucky the damage was only interior — the emergency services have been fantastic.”

He said customers will be redirected to Nam Ploy Thai Restaurant in Chorley Old Road while the damage is repaired.

Jackie, aged 46, who lives near the pub but declined to give her surname, said: “I was in my bedroom with my partner with the TV on at five past one.

Just as I turned it off and went to bed, I thought I could smell smoke.

“When I stuck my head out the window, I saw some small smoke coming out of the chimney.

“My first thought was ‘Oh my God’, and I ran outside.”

She added: “I never thought it could be arson, I just presumed someone had left something on in the kitchen.

“If it is arson, then I find it very unusual. It’s beautiful inside, they’ve really done it up.

"It’s so much better than it was before. It’s a really nice place.”

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A man who lives near the pub said: “I saw the flames just after 1am and me and the neighbours were out until about 3am.

"We were concerned about what was going on outside. We couldn’t believe this had happened.”

Suzan de Lison, aged 65, who lives in Bradshaw Road, said: “This surprises me because I think The Crofters Arms is a nice place.

“Whenever I’ve been there, I’ve enjoyed it — it’s a great community pub.”

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: “We are investigating an arson attack between 10.45pm last night and 1.10am this morning.

“The fire services called us to the area at about 1.20am. We are treating this as arson.”

A spokesman for Bolton North Fire Station said: “Firefighters were concerned that the pub’s manager was upstairs, however they did not find anyone in the building.

“The fire was put out within half an hour, but crews from Bolton Central, Bolton North and Ramsbottom stations continued to investigate the cause.

“The rear of the building suffered smoke damage, and investigations are still ongoing to determine the cause of the blaze.”