Arson charges following fire on Harwich pirate radio ship

The LV18 lightship suffered "extensive smoke damage", its owner says

Police investigating a fire on a historic pirate radio ship have charged a man with arson.

The fire on the LV18 - one of the last manned lightships which once hosted pirate radio projects off the Harwich coast - caused severe damage.

Police said the man also faced charges over a fire at Harwich Town railway station - also on Friday evening.

Christopher Parker, 33, of Alexandra Street, in Harwich, was charged with four counts of arson.

He has been remanded in custody and was due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Essex Police initially believed the two fires were not linked.

• Tony O'Neil praises fire crews who tackled LV18 "inferno"

Police said the fire at the railway station also damaged nearby commercial premises and cars.

Seven crews from across the county tackled the ship fire which broke out at 21:00 GMT on 2 February

BBC Essex broadcasted from the LV18 lightship for a pirate radio anniversary in 2014

Tony O'Neil from the Pharos Trust, which owns the LV18, described seeing the vessel on fire as "absolutely devastating".

Firefighters fought what they described as "punishing conditions" to bring the blaze under control.

BBC Essex marked 50 years of offshore pirate radio stations by broadcasting from the LV18 for seven days in April 2014.