A FIRE which caused more than £1 million worth of damage to an historic Newport building was an arson attack, police confirmed.

Work on restoring The Maltings, a former brewery and listed building, was just weeks away from completion when it was devastated by the blaze.

About 30 firefighters spent more than two hours bringing the fire under control on Saturday afternoon and it led to the closure of the nearby City Bridge on the Southern Distributor Road.

It tore through the landmark building causing considerable damage and was heartbreaking for the owner, who spoke to the Argus, but did not want to be named.

"It was in the process of being refurbished to be used as a furniture warehouse and was about a month away from completion," he said.

"We have had builders working there seven days a week since Christmas and had really transformed the building."

He estimated that the fire had caused more than a £1 million worth of damage but he was hopeful it could be saved. He has owned the building for about five years.

The Maltings, which was about 120 years old, was a Grade ll listed building, he added.

It features in Unlimited Vision Newport 2020, the master plan for the city produced by regeneration company Newport Unlimited.

It said the former brewery, Dock Feeder and the Baltic Oil Buildings would, along with the Transporter Bridge, provide a focus for a new riverfront tourist destination bringing extra commercial development opportunities.

Anyone with information about the fire is urged to contact the police.

A spokeswoman for Gwent police said the fire was being treated as suspicious.

Last week there was another arson attack on two derelict buildings on the nearby Black Clawson site in Pill.

Anyone with information is asked to contact 01633 838111 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.