A Bonfire Night arsonist entered a high-security police compound in Worthing and torched a squad car early today.

Police were today hunting the firebug who got into the car park at the back of the town police station.

Firelighters were stacked on the boot of the vehicle before it was set alight under the glare of a bank of CCTV cameras at 3.40am.

Fire brigade sub-officer Darren Wickings said: "We arrived and the car was up in flames. It had been deliberately ignited.

"The back of the car, including the boot, was destroyed. The inside of the car was smoke damaged."

Minutes later another blaze was started at the Assembly Hall concert venue in Stoke Abbot Road. Pallets were stacked at the doorway before being set on fire.

Fire crews arrived within three minutes. Mr Wickings said: "By this time flames had gone through the doors and spread to the wooden floorboards and panelling on the walls. We forced entry through the doors and managed to contain the fire.

"We got there in the nick of time. The hall has wooden floorboards and the fire could have caused very severe damage."

Organisers of the Worthing Music Festival, who are using the hall, said the event would go ahead as usual.

The Guildbourne Centre multi-storey car park in the High Street reopened today after an arsonist set a car alight early on Friday.

A police spokeswoman said: "We are investigating two fires which occurred in the early hours of this morning.

"Both fires are being treated as suspicious but are not being linked at this stage. Part of the investigation will include forensic reports.

"The car park at Worthing police station is open 24 hours a day and has security measures in place. But in the light of this incident, security will be reviewed."

In the first six months of last year, arsonists set fire to a string of shops in Worthing town centre causing tens of thousands of pounds' damage. The culprits were never caught.