THE cause of a fire which destroyed two cottages in a West Somerset hamlet nine days ago will remain a mystery.

Fire and police investigators have examined the scene of the blaze in Stringston, between Stogursey and Holford, which happened on June 7.

But the fire was so intense they were not able to find enough clues to give them an idea of how it began.

A Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “We were unable to determine the cause of the fire due to the severity of the damage.”

Dozens of firefighters from across West Somerset and other parts of the county and from Devon tackled the fire, which started in one cottage and quickly spread to the neighbouring property.