Man arrested after fire wrecks MP's office in Tyne and Wear

A man in his 20s has been arrested by police after a suspected arson attack wrecked the constituency office of the Labour MP Sharon Hodgson.

- Mark Brown

There is little left of the first floor office in the Concord area of Washington, Tyne and Wear, after a fire that took place when it was unoccupied in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Graffiti on the side of the building reads "328 days blood on your hands", although it is believed to have been there for as long as a year.

A No 10 spokesperson condemned the attack: "There is absolutely no place for this kind of violence in our society. All those involved in our democratic process should be able to go about their vital work freely and with confidence."

A spokesperson for Hodgson, the MP for Washington and Gateshead South since 2005, said she would "not be deterred" and would continue to support her constituents.