POLICE arrested a man on suspicion of starting fires at the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway after he admitted faking “crimes” at the site, a court has heard.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Benjamin Taylor, 23, now of Whole House Road, Seascale, denies six charges of arson on separate occasions in late 2012 and 2013.

Three of those blazes broke out at the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. One caused £500,000 damage and “almost destroyed the business”.

All were initially thought to have “potentially innocent explanations”.

But police began to suspect foul play after Taylor was quizzed about other incidents on the railway site including burglaries and thefts.

Taylor conceded to police that he actually “staged” these incidents and had also shut down the main power supply to the railway site.

“I thought I would do little things to try and get people to notice me I suppose,” he told police. He admitted he liked the attention he got from raising the alarm.

Following these admissions, police began to look at the fires in a new light. It was then that Taylor was arrested on suspicion of arson.

But when interviewed, he repeatedly claimed he was not to blame for any of the fires.

Meanwhile fire investigation expert Dr Luke Ward has told the court the fire at the railway could have been started deliberately.

Giving evidence yesterday, Dr Ward was questioned by prosecuting barrister Kim Whittlestone about his assessment of the workshop fire in March 2013, and the other fires Taylor is accused of starting.

Miss Whittlestone asked Dr Ward about his views of why the workshop fire started. He said he thought it unlikely that the fire – said to have started in the attic of the workshop – was triggered by a fault with lighting.

Dr Ward pointed out that the light in the lower floors of the workshop were still on when the fire was in progress.

Had the cause been faulty lighting the other lights in the building would have tripped, he said.

“There is always the possibility, in the absence of an accidental cause, that it was deliberate,” said Dr Ward.

Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service group manager Adrian Holme told the jury about the scale of the fire at the workshop, which he attended.

He said: “We had eight appliances from all over north Cumbria and we had to call on resources from Sellafield to bring the fire under control. 

"It was a huge challenge, with the fire next to the railway line and next to a busy tourist attraction.”

The trial continues.