Arsonists are suspected of setting alight a community recreation centre, which was badly damaged in an overnight fire in the North, the fire service said today.

Bolted doors on a west Belfast hostel where two homeless men died in a fire could have led to an even bigger loss of life, it was claimed today.

SOME of the worst storms on record lashed the North wreaking havoc on roads and flooding hundreds of homes.

Northern Ireland was today experiencing some of its worst October weather for years, with landslides wreaking havoc on roads, and home-owners erecting flood defences.