Members of a Keighley church and several community groups have been devastated by a fire which swept through their meeting place.

The facilities of groups and both the Anglican and Methodist congregations were destroyed in the fire at the Keighley Shared Church Hall in the early hours of Tuesday.

Three pumps were called to the blaze in the Market Street premises at around 2.50am, after police officers spotted flames rising from the roof.

Methodist minister the Rev Gordon Webb said: "It is very sad indeed, it was a bad fire of serious proportions.

"It is made worse by the fact that it was obviously deliberately set - we have had other acts of vandalism so it is a shock but not a surprise.

"It's a real shame and a great inconvenience for the groups who regularly use the hall and for the people who make occasional use of it."

Dorothy Carpenter, of the Keighley Over 50s group, said: "We will be closed until further notice. It is such a shame, we have over 100 members -- they are absolutely shattered.

"I felt sick when I heard. People love coming to our group for a chat, to see other people and feel in a safe environment.

"I am not sure what will happen now, but we will let people know as soon as we have decided what to do.

"Everybody works so hard to keep the group going, and the other groups are the same. It's a lot of effort and that has been spoilt."

Brownie leader Shirley Wright said: "We were due to hold our last Brownie meeting before the summer on Monday.

"I just think it's disgusting. We've met there every Monday for years. Apart from it being a Brownie hall, a lot of other people used it too.

"As well as losing the hall, we have also lost a lot of equipment which we had stored in the building and our funds simply won't stretch to replacing it. They are things we have worked hard to build up over the years.

"I think the fire was deliberate, but what they can have got out of it I don't know.

"We are hoping to hold our last meeting in the church, but we'll have to try to sort something out for after September if the building isn't ready.

"I will keep all the members informed. It is a real shame -- we're all very upset."

Keighley Fire Station officer Paul Armitage said: "It was quite a serious fire. There was 50 per cent damage to the roof and to the rooms below.

"The roof was totally caved in. It's a substantial loss to the church. Lots of people used it, such as the Brownies, and it's going to be sorely missed."

He added that some accidental causes had been discounted, but that the police and fire service were still investigating the incident.

It took 30 minutes to bring the fire under control and a total of four hours was spent ono putting it out completely.

Firefighters used breathing apparatus and jets to tackle the blaze. No-one was injured.