Fire crews were called to battle a deliberate blaze in the stairwell of a building late last night.

The fire is understood to have broken out on the third floor of a tower block in Pantile Avenue, Southend, at about 10.30pm last night.

Two crews from Southend rushed to the scene.

On arrival firefighters reported that the fire was in a stairwell and extinguished it by 10.45pm. 

The cause has been recorded as deliberate.