A 15-year-old girl from Winchester has been arrested for arson after setting fire to clothes, a table and a chair in three city centre shops.

Officers were called to Winchester High Street at around 11.45am on Wednesday, August 31 following reports of three arsons at Fatface, McDonald's and Marks & Spencer.

Witnesses said a young girl entered Fatface and set fire to some clothing.

She then reportedly went into McDonald's and set fire to a table and threatened staff when asked to leave, before burning a chair and assaulting two staff members in Marks & Spencer. Both victims sustained minor injuries.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene and extinguished the fires.

Staff at Fatface temporarily closed the store in the wake of the incident. Officers were seen taking statements from both staff and bystanders in all three stores throughout the afternoon.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: "A 15-year-old girl from Winchester has been arrested on suspicion of attempted arson with intent to endanger life. She remains in custody at this time.

"Anyone who witnessed the incident and hasn’t yet spoken to police is asked to call us on 101 quoting reference 44220354545 or report online at hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/."