Lapdance club that provoked commuter-belt fury WAS wrecked by arsonists, say police

More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at Club Redd in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, in the small hours on Tuesday, but were unable to stop the roof of the building from partially collapsing.

Two firefighters narrowly escaped with their lives.

'Targeted': Club Redd goes up in flames. Police today confirmed they believe it was attacked by arsonists

The blaze immediately gave rise to suspicions that the club had been targeted by people opposed to such a venue opening in the affluent commuter town.

Club Redd, which features a booth where customers can be tied down while they are given a lap dance, only opened three weeks ago.

Fire investigators with search dogs have been examining the scene along with police forensic scientists, while CCTV footage is being collated and viewed as part of the investigation.

Although they expect to continue gathering evidence until at least tomorrow, a spokesman for Sussex Police confirmed today that they believed the fire to have been started deliberately.

Detective Inspector Stu Hale said: 'We believe Redd's was intentionally targeted by arsonists, and would urge anyone who was in the vicinity of the Martlets shopping precinct from around 1am on Tuesday July 15 to come forward and let us know what they may have seen or heard.

'Information that may seem very insignificant to them may be of great importance to the police investigation.'

He added that officers were also keen to trace anyone who has suffered burn injuries in the past few days.

Controversial: Two of Club Redd's dancers

Crews from East Sussex and Surrey were drafted in to help while the blaze was at its height. Nobody was in the nightclub at the time of the fire and there were no injuries reported.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman, Gary Towson said: 'The intensity of the fire put the lives of firefighters at risk.

'The incident commander made an astute decision to withdraw the firefighters for their own safety, and the roof collapsed a few minutes later. Fortunately, there have been no reported casualties.'

On Tuesday the club's owner, Leo Valls, said he also believed it had been the victim of an arson attack.

He told the Daily Mail: 'The general impression is that the place was torched deliberately. Someone has got themselves inside and set fire to the place.

'Personally I think they did it because they are anti-lapdancing. With some people it runs to a high passion. I compare it to the book burning in Berlin in 1939.'

Club Redd was one of scores of lapdancing venues to open in small towns and residential areas since laws were relaxed in 2003.

Residents launched a letter-writing blitz and a campaign on social networking site Facebook to prevent the club opening but the council said it was powerless to act.

The venue employed 25 dancers and took up to £9,000 a night, with customers paying up to £500 for bottle of champagne or £20 to be tied down in a booth and given a private lap dance.

The fire also affected several shops below the nightclub, largely through water damage.

DI Hale added: 'This deliberate act has caused disruption to businesses, traffic and the lives of those living nearby, and will cost the local economy a great deal at this increasingly difficult financial time.

'It is important that we bring the offender of this crime to justice.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mr Hale at Haywards Heath Police Station on 0845 6070999, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.