A KINGSWINFORD man has been charged with arson following a factory fire in Brierley Hill.

The blaze devastated the P Patterns Ltd unit, causing an estimated £700,000 worth of damage.

Paul Bryan Derrick Hancox, of Larch Road, is accused of starting the fire at the Hurst Business Park, Navigation Drive, in the early hours of Friday morning (August 10).

He appeared at Dudley Magistrates Court on Monday (August 13).

The 27-year-old has been sent for trial and was remanded in custody until his next hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court on September 10.

Factory boss Philip Hancox said the defendant - who has the same surname - was known to him.

Mr Hancox, who has run the factory since 2002, was abroad when he found out about the fire and had to cut his holiday short.

He said the unit had been devastated by the flames and he did not know when it would reopen, allowing both him and his four employees to return to work.