Arsonists have firebombed the office of the Middleton and North Manchester Guardian, a member of the MEN Weekly Newspapers group.

But the paper is defiant, saying if the attack was a bid to prevent publication, it has failed.

Fire ripped through the front of the building, in Middleton, spewing smoke and flames from the windows.

It is thought the blaze was started by firebugs who poured petrol through the letterbox before dropping in a naked flame.

But the newspaper group’s forward thinking saved the day. Contingency plans were put in place to ensure that any of the company’s newspapers could publish in an emergency.

The Middleton Guardian is the first newspaper in the group to use the company’s so-called ‘Disaster Recovery Plan’.

It consists of a bank of computer terminals set up for immediate use to ensure publication is on time.

Deon Webber, the fire investigation team manager who assessed the scene, said: “It was a bad fire that has caused structural damage to the front of the office and fire and heat damage to the reception area.

“There has also been a large amount of smoke damage to the rest of the office.”

He added that with the help of Cracker, the fire investigation dog, the team discovered that the fire was started deliberately.

Firefighters who attended the blaze were put in peril as the fire was started near the building’s electricity meter, which popped and fizzed as they entered the building.

The crews were forced to tackle the blaze through a hole they had cut in the window.

Once engineers switched off the electricity supply to the office, 14 firefighters worked for two-and-a-half hours to put out the blaze.

A crew remained at the scene throughout the night to ensure the area was secure. No one was hurt during the incident.

Guardian editor Gerry Sammon said: “Whoever did this wanted to stop the Middleton Guardian being published this week.

“Our Disaster Recovery Plan was immediately put into operation with minimal disruption to news gathering and production.

“We haven’t missed an edition yet and the coward who did this will be sadly disappointed that we are out this week as normal and on time. We won’t be intimidated.”

The Guardian is currently working with police to compile a list of possible suspects.