A BOLTON gym owner was today counting the cost of an arson attack which destroyed his town centre business and damaged an adjoining cafe and hairdressing salon.

An investigation has been launched after the blaze in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Kai Man Martial Arts and Fitness Academy on Bradshawgate, in Bolton town centre.

The gym was wrecked by the blaze which ripped through the building causing damage to neighbouring businesses Headhunters hairdressers and La Rachelle cafe.

Police say intruders broke into the premises through a metal gate and door on the ground floor and started the blaze on the second floor.

Devastated gym owner Mark Holmes says he does not know when or if he will be able to reopen. He says he will have to think long and hard before he decides what to do after what he claims was an unprovoked attack.

He said: "The place has been completely gutted and it was done deliberately and certainly not by amateurs. I'm annoyed, upset and angry that my pride and joy business has completely gone."

Mr Holmes fulfilled a dream when he bought the business nearly two years ago and transformed it from the former dance school. He added: "I'm going to have to have a serious think about what to do. I think it will take me a while to get my head together because I am still in shock that this has happened. "I just can't understand who would want to do it. I do my own thing and run my own business and if I have made any enemies, I don't know about them. I've always dreamed of owning my own gym and when I finally manage it, this happens."

The fire was spotted by at 4.20am by Mr Andy Bond, who lives in the flat above next-door pub Maxims, after he spotted a bright orange glow in the street.

Assistant manager Mark Coleman, who shares the flat with Mr Bond, said: "The back street was lit up orange so we got out as quickly as we could and raised the alarm, but it was a good job Andy spotted it when he did because our smoke alarm isn't working."

Firefighters battled to control the blaze, which had engulfed the stairs in the building, for several hours and still had a crew there this morning. Station officer David Pimblett said they still do not know the exact cause of the blaze, but confirmed it was being treated as suspicious.

Headhunters hairdressers on the first floor and La Rachelle cafe on the ground floor of the same building were also damaged by the fire.

La Rachelle owner David Coleman says his cafe will be closed at the beginning of the week because of water damage to the kitchens. He said: "We will have to ditch all our food and we will remain closed until we can get the place completely sanitised, so for the moment I'm stockless and businessless."

Firefighters had to break into the cafe through the back door to reach the electricity supply for the whole building.

He added: "Luckily the fire has let us off lightly compared to the rest of the building and we are insured so it is just a case of doing the clean-up job and getting open as soon as possible, but it was certainly a shock.

"Trade has been poor over Christmas and we were hoping to pull some back and this isn't the start to the New Year we wanted."

Mr Paul Fletcher, who owns the top two floors of the building, including the Headhunters salon, says he will start the clean-up operation today and hopes to be open again by Thursday.

He said: "It is going to be a lot of work, but in the hairdressers we have come off pretty lightly. There will be a big clean-up and once the electricity and the stairs are fixed, we should be OK after the shock."

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