Three years since ‘100 years of history went up in smoke’: What happened to the Newbury football ground clubhouse investigation?

It has been three years since a fire burnt down the former Newbury FC clubhouse at Faraday Road.

The site had been empty since the summer of 2018 when West Berkshire evicted Newbury Football Club to prepare for the redevelopment of the London Road Industrial Estate.

The facility had since fallen into a state of disrepair, and a planning application to demolish the clubhouse and turn the site into an open recreation space was set to be voted on in early September, 2021.

But the clubhouse burnt down overnight on August 13, 2021, and nobody was injured.

For some campaigners, something smelt off about the sudden fire, with chairman of the Newbury Community Football Group Paul Morgan, at the time, calling the incident “inevitable”.

But what really happened to the investigation?

Initially the incident was investigated by Thames Valley Police (TVP) as a possible arson.

But after a thorough investigation, Thames Valley Police (TVP) said all reasonable lines of enquiry were exhausted.

So, the investigation was filed pending any fresh information coming to light.

Speaking at the time, Newbury Town Council spokesman on Faraday Road football ground Vaughan Miller (Lib Dem, East Fields) said he was “gutted”.

He said: “It’s 100 years of history gone up in smoke, and that’s how gutted I feel about it.”

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service assessed the fire and ascertained that there were no signs of accelerant used in the fire.

“So, although arson was suspected, with no witnesses and no CCTV, all reasonable lines of enquiry were followed,” TVP said.

“Clearly, should any new information come to light, the investigation can be re-opened.

“And so, even though this is two years’ ago, should anyone have any information about the original incident, they can still contact Thames Valley Police on 101, quoting reference number 43210363499.”