A fire was started in a famous York graveyard last night (Thursday).
Firefighters from York were called to the graveyard on George Street at 5.56pm.
A North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson said: “York crews responded to reports of a tree stump smouldering in a graveyard.
“Crews used a bucket of water to extinguish the fire. The cause was believed to be deliberate.”
The graveyard is visited by hundreds of people every year as it is home to the grave of infamous highwayman Dick Turpin.
Turpin, also known as John Palmer, was laid to rest there after being executed at York Tyburn, Knavesmire, in 1739.
However, a leading Turpin scholar has cast doubt as to whether the gravestone accurately marks his last resting place.