No charges will be brought against two men arrested on suspicion of setting fire to Hastings Pier.

The 19-year-old men, from St Leonards, were arrested near the pier as the blaze took hold on October 5 last year.

However the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced today that, despite believing the pair were on the pier at the time, the service does not have enough evidence to prosecute.

Tim Thompson, head of the CPS Brighton Trials Unit, said the Sussex Police investigation had been “carefully reviewed”.

He said: “We are left in the position where we cannot show how the fire was started and cannot show that the human act must have been a criminal act.

“We cannot show that there was or must have been any kind of joint plan. We have no admissible evidence to show which of the two suspects might have been responsible. We cannot prosecute on the basis that one or other of the two suspects might have been responsible; we can only prosecute where there is enough evidence against an individual.”

The blaze took four days to put out and destroyed 95% of the upper part of the pier.

Campaigners are now battling to save the Grade II Listed structure.

Mr Thompson added: “The nature of the structure and the extent of the fire combined to make this a particularly difficult crime scene.

“All reasonable lines of enquiry have been pursued and I have concluded that the two suspects should be told that they will not be charged.

"I appreciate there will be concern that no one is being prosecuted. It is disappointing that we are not able to mount a prosecution in a case that is of considerable local interest but it is our responsibility to only bring prosecutions where there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction."

He said the case will be reconsidered if new information comes to light.