POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a fire was deliberately set at a house in Ellesmere Port while a family were asleep upstairs.

Sometime between 1am and 7am on Tuesday, someone tried to push leaflets through the letterbox of a house in West Road.

The door, which was unlocked, opened and the arsonist then threw burning leaflets into the entrance of the house, causing damage to the living room.

Detective Constable Robert Moore said: “A family were asleep upstairs at the time.

“Thankfully the fire did not catch and spread further, which could have had serious unthinkable consequences.

“I would urge anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area around these times to contact us in order to help police with their inquiries.”

Anyone with information should contact Det Cons Moore on 101, quoting incident 125 of March 4, 2014.

Alternatively, telephone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.