Amy Newman from Totton to appear in court accused of arson and affray after a hotel room fire at Portsmouth Travelodge

A TOTTON teenager has been charged with arson and affray following a fire at a hotel.

Amy Newman (18), of Hammonds Lane, is alleged to have committed the offences at a Travelodge in Portsmouth on Tuesday.

Hampshire police were called to reports of a fire in a bedroom at the hotel just after 11.15pm.

A spokesperson said: “The building was evacuated and a road closure was put in place on Stanhope Road while our colleagues from Hampshire & IOW Fire and Rescue Service attended.

“No-one was hurt and the road closure was lifted shortly after 2am.”

A spokesperson for the fire service confirmed it had sent crews to deal with the blaze on the eighth floor, which involved a mattress and bedding.

“Fortunately there were no casualties as guests were evacuated, before they were later allowed to return into the building [once] the affected room was ventilated after suffering smoke damage,” the spokesperson explained.

Following a joint fire and police investigation into the cause, three people, including Newman, were charged.

The other two were: Joe Afrifa (18) of Funtington Road in Portsmouth, charged with arson; and Toa Barton (19) of Willersley Close in Paulsgrove, charged with arson and affray.

They are due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday).