ARSONISTS set fire to two Merseyside pubs within minutes of each other yesterday.
Firefighters were called to the Seaforth Castle, in Seaforth Road, Seaforth, at around 3.15am.
At around the same time, crews from Kirkby station were on their way to the Roughwood Hotel, in Roughwood Road.
They also dealt with a fire at a Hoylake pub in the early hours of Sunday.
At each pub, a window was smashed and petrol poured through before it was set alight.
Flames ripped through the bar area of the empty Seaforth Castle. No-one was inside at the time and it is believed a passer-by saw the flames before calling the emergency services.
The Roughwood pub was also targeted at around 3.15am yesterday. People living in the flat above were woken by the smell of smoke but managed to escape before calling firefighters.
At around 1.15am on Sunday, the Punch Bowl, in Market Street, Hoylake, was also petrol-bombed.
