Search for teenage girls over McDonald's fire

Officers have released a CCTV image of two teenagers they want to speak to as part of their inquiries

Officers investigating a fire which led to a McDonald's branch being evacuated have appealed to speak to two teenage girls as part of their inquiries.

The fast food restaurant on Parliament Row, Hanley, was evacuated after smoke was seen coming from the toilets.

Two girls, aged about 16 or 17, had gone into the toilets and left after the fire alarm started going off, said Staffordshire Police.

The force said it was keen to speak to anyone who was in the restaurant at the time of fire, which officers said was "set deliberately". It happened shortly before 17:00 GMT on 8 December, 2023.

Officers released an image of the girls it wanted to speak in connection with the incident. Both were described as white and about 5ft 7in tall.

One was wearing a black jacket, a black Nike top and white shoes, the second was wearing a black jacket and black shoes.