Three Schoolboys Arrested Over Cadbury Manor House Fire

1 August 2014, 08:08 | Updated: 1 August 2014, 09:08

Three schoolboys have been arrested after a fire almost completely destroyed a manor house which used to belong to the Cadbury family in Birmingham.

The youngsters – aged 12, 14 and 15 – were taken into custody where they were questioned yesterday evening and later released on bail pending further enquiries.

Meanwhile, the owners of the historic Cadbury family home say they'll need to assess the damage before they can decide if it's possible to keep it.

The house was used as student accommodation until 2007 by the University of Birmingham, which acquired the property in 1953.

Professor Adam Tickell, the university's vice-principal, said: "It was awaiting planning approval from the City Council to be sensitively converted into flats as part of a wider redevelopment of the site.

"The site, including the Manor House, was boarded up to prevent access and the university employed an external security company to provide 24/7 monitoring of the site.

"The university retains its desire to keep the structure of the Manor House but now needs to properly assess its condition.

"We are working with engineers and the local authority building control to understand the level of damage, make the structure safe and secure the site.''