FOOTAGE of an arsonist starting the fire which ripped through a hotel causing thousands of pounds worth of damage has been released.

The CCTV shows a man setting fire to rubbish outside the Tyne Hotel in Newcastle in the early hours of May 9 before fleeing the scene.

Within seconds the building is engulfed in flames and, although no-one was injured, the fire caused significant damage to the hotel.

Police have released images of the incident to try to trace the suspect and are asking witnesses to come forward.

Detective Constable Sarah Kemp, of Northumbria Police, said: "This fire caused a significant amount of damage and left the owners with a huge clean-up operation.

"The only saving grace is that nobody was inside at the time of the incident or someone could have been seriously hurt or killed.

"We have already carried out extensive enquiries into this fire and clearly it is being treated as an arson.

"Now we are releasing CCTV images of the moment the fire was started in the hope that someone can assist us in identifying the man responsible.

"If you think you recognise him, or if you have information about the arson, then contact police on 101 or email our detectives."