Firefighters are calling on shop owners to be more cautious over how they deal with their rubbish over the festive period after a suspected arson attack destroyed the front of a mobile phone shop.

Two engines and the aerial ladder platform from Preston Circus Community Fire Station were called to the EE shop on Western Road, opposite Churchill Square at 6am to extinguish a deliberately-started fire.

Rubbish that had been left out overnight had been torched and fire crews battled for 40 minutes to tackle the blaze which destroyed the shop’s front door and caused smoke damage inside.

Station manager Glen Stevens said: “This sort of thing happens at this time every year.

“The nature of the stuff shops are throwing out, such as flammable boxes and packaging, means shop owner have to be extra careful with how they dispose of the waste.

“At this time of year more people are going out and having a drink and unfortunately some people just think it’s funny to set these bags alight.

“Sometimes it can be something as innocent as discarding a cigarette, but in the majority of cases it’s deliberately started.

“Our advice to shopkeepers is to either dispose of their waste in a secure location away from the shop or, even better, leave the rubbish locked up in the shop and get whoever is first into the office to put it out.”

There were no reported injuries and the incident has now been passed to the police.

Anyone with any information on the incident should call Sussex Police on 101.