Two men have been charged with arson after a fire destroyed a pub in Clophill back in 2022.

The Green Man in Clophill, Bedfordshire, was severely damaged after a blaze broke out at around 10.40pm on December 21 that year, with eight people evacuated and taken to hospital.

Tony Button, 48, from Kempston and Ian Chalmers, 66, from Campton, have both been charged with arson with intent to endanger life.

They appeared at Bedford Magistrates' Court on February 8, and are due back in court for a plea hearing on March 11.

In January 2023, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service believed the most likely cause of the fire was a Christmas tree being placed too close to an open fireplace.