A large home on a main Wolverhampton road has been partially destroyed in a suspected arson attack.

The main living room of the detached house on Tettenhall Road, close to its junction with Newhampton Road West, was completely gutted in the blaze.

Most of the house also suffered extensive smoke damage.

Firefighters were called at about 8.30pm.

They discovered signs of a break-in at the house, which is secured by a six foot wall, large conifers and an iron gate, and believe arsonists may have forced their way in. At the height of the blaze three fire crews were at the scene and police were forced to seal off one lane of Tettenhall Road to allow them to access their equipment.

The shocked owner of the house, who asked not to be identified, said: “I am still very shaken up by what has happened.

“I wasn’t inside the house at the time, I was working and I returned to find the fire engines and all of this.”

Fire investigation teams, including a specialist dog unit, were trawling the property using search lights until the early hours of today. Police officers kept watch at the gates of the house throughout the night until the property was boarded up.

It is estimated that 20 per cent of the house was destroyed but it is structurally safe.

The fire was out by 9.30pm but firefighters began damping down at about midnight. A fire service spokesman said: “There are signs of a break in. “It is suspected arson.”

West Midlands Police spokeswoman Aneka Anderson today confirmed a police investigation has been launched. She said: “The fire caused extensive damage. It is being treated as arson.”