A BOWLING club has been left shocked after being hit by a second arson attack in less than three months.

The premises of Eccleston Bowling Club on Knowsley Road was torched last Friday night, with two fire engines called to tackle the blaze.

An area of the roof and a quantity of guttering was damaged by the flames while the rear cellar and remainder of the building were also partially damaged by smoke.

Club members had already been devastated after substantial damage to the premises was caused by a blaze in September.

The club has been a part of the community for more than 130 years and has more than 400 members, with eight bowling teams and snooker, darts and dominoes played at the premises.

The initial damage was estimated by members to cost around £20,000 to £30,000.

Similarly to the first blaze, the fire is believed to have been started on the roof and police are again treating it as suspicious.

Although the exact cost of the damage is not yet known, members admit the second fire has come as a significant setback to the club's renovation plans.

The club has been using facilities at the nearby Black Bull pub temporarily since September's fire.

"We are just devastated, we've had two of these now," said club secretary Paul Smith.

"The club hadn't even been renovated yet, we had spoken to the insurance.

"On Friday I got a call to say that it's on fire. Why would somebody burn a burned out building? I can't understand it, it's senseless.

"We were hoping to get up and ready and start again but this is just an additional knock-back and additional cost."

A Merseyside Police spokeswoman confirmed they were called to a fire at the premises on Friday night and that it was being treated as suspicious.

She said: "The fire was reported at 8.50pm. It is believed it started on the roof of the club and damage was caused to the exterior and interior of the building.

"The fire is being treated as suspicious and a joint investigation into the fire is currently underway with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service."

The spokeswoman added: "It is the second suspicious fire to have occurred at the premises in the past couple of months. CCTV enquiries are being carried out in the local area and an investigation is underway."

Anyone with any information which could help officers is asked to contact Merseyside Police on 0151 777 6812 or the Crimestoppers line anonymously on 0800 555 111.