Colchester factory fire was started deliberately, probe says

The Gamet Bearings factory on the junction between Greenstead Road and Hythe Station Road was ablaze for several hours on Thursday, with four fire crews on the scene battling the flames from noon until 6pm.

The disused building has been empty since 2019 and became the sight of an industrial-sized cannabis farm which was uncovered by police in 2021.

Investigation - police were on the scene on Friday morning (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) After investigating the cause of the fire, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) has confirmed via a spokesman that the blaze was started on purpose.

He said: “It's been recorded as a deliberate fire with accidental fire spread.

“What that means is, the fire was lit intentionally but there was no intention for it to spread like it did.”

Presence – about six officers were in Greenstead Road and Hythe Station Road (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) Police attended the abandoned factory on Friday morning and set up a cordon blocking entry to the premises from Hythe Station Road and Greenstead Road.

Four vehicles, including a forensics unit, and six officers were on the scene as the investigation into the fire continued.

An Essex Police spokesman has said a joint investigation is underway with ECFRS, though details of the incident are yet to be passed onto the force officially.

Specialist – a forensics van was on the scene although the investigation has not been formally handed over to the police (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) Plans to demolish the building and turn it into a block of flats were passed by Colchester Council last year but a lack of action developers meant the area became a hotspot for fly tipping and anti-social behaviour.

The building has also been lived in by homeless people, with Essex Police finding bedding and other personal items during searches of the site.