A unique First World War trench recreation at Park Hall has been devastated by a fire.

Emergency services were called to the 'Trenches though the Ages' at the Park Hall Countryside Experience on Burma Road yesterday morning after a blaze started in the underground rooms which were built by volunteers in 2015.

It is feared the blaze may have been started intentionally however investigations by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service are still ongoing.

It is unclear when the fire was started.

Martyn Hughes, co-owner of the Park Hall Countryside experience, said: "You do wonder what you're doing it all for when something like this happens.

"I have been told that it was caused by others. There is just no respect for others people's property.

"The fire has completely devastated the underground rooms, and we have to assess the safety as the walls were collapsing. It was an intense fire."

Curator of Oswestry Town Museum, Mark Hignett, who was heavily involved in getting the project off the ground and its creation, said it was sad news as the trenches had been hailed as "an innovative project from the start."

"Worse things have happened, but I feel sorry for the visitors who have travelled all over the world to see this,” he said.

"It can be rebuilt. Luckily there were no irreplaceable items in the rooms – they were only ever shown during open days.

"It'll be like a phoenix that rises from the ashes, but we will need more volunteers to help rebuild it."

The project was created as part of the 'Shropshire Remembers' project and was a representative set of dugouts to give visitors a real insight into the nature of trench warfare.

A spokesperson from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 10:05am on Monday, April 23, we received a call reporting a fire classified as fire in open.

"One crew attended from Oswestry, and the fire was extinguished by two hose reel jets. It took time to dig out the fire in the underground rooms.

"The fire is currently under investigation."

David Hughes, Police Community Support Officer for Oswestry, said: "There fire has damaged the World War One Trenches down at Park Hall, and is being treated as suspicious."