MYSTERY surrounds a blaze which has destroyed a boat lived in by a man dubbed a neighbour from hell.

Firefighters battled severe flames to ensure Tom Morris and his girlfriend Melanie Poole were not aboard the burning barge, moored near Worcester's Tallow Hill.

An inflatable boat was launched to search the canal but neither could be found as the fire raged late on Saturday night.

Speculation surrounds the cause of the blaze but fire experts confirm they believe it was deliberate.

"When we arrived the boat was fully engulfed in fire, so much so that we were unsure whether anyone was inside," said Assistant Divisional Officer, Paul Amos, of Worcester's Red Watch.

The charred remains of the boat - The Avon Duckling - and debris lay surrounding the boat on the canal but there has been no sign of Mr Morris or his partner since the fire.

"We initially suspected they may have been in there because he'd been living there," said ADO Amos.

"It was a very severe fire and difficult for our breathing apparatus crew to gain entry but they managed to get in.

"We can't say for definite how it started but at this point we believe it was started deliberately."

Controversy has dogged 43-year-old Mr Morris who was evicted from his home in Rainbow Hill in the summer for persistently playing loud music.

Environmental health officers seized his stereo equipment and he was fined £1,000 by Worcester magistrates and also served with noise abatement orders

Mr Morris was hoping to make a fresh start on the boat but ran into more difficulties when it sprang a leak, letting in gallons of water.

He was then at loggerheads with the boat's owner and British Waterways who wanted the vessel shipped off their waters.