A man has been charged with arson related to the fire that swept through the 14th-century Star Inn Harome in North Yorkshire almost two years ago. The 28-year-old man from nearby Helmsley will appear in Scarborough magistrates court on Monday.

The fire swept through the old pub’s 4ft deep thatched roof in November 2021, leaving much of the structure a charred skeleton.

Nobody was hurt in the blaze, and proprietor Andrew Pern – who has run the Star for 26 years – set about restoration work as soon as possible. The pub reopened last October, just over a year after the fire.