A REWARD of up to £1,000 has been offered by supermarket Costcutter for information about a devastating arson attack on one of its York stores.

A senior York firefighter involved in tackling the blaze in Dunnington - which almost cost the lives of two of his colleagues when the roof collapsed moment after they fled the building - has also warned of the potentially life- threatening dangers of setting light to dustbins, the suspected cause of Tuesday night's fire.

Divisional Officer Graham Buckle said: "The potential consequences of their actions could be catastrophic - think seriously about what you are doing before you do it. Deliberately started dustbin fires are very common, and when we are dealing with them we are unable to deal with any real emergencies. It's rare that the fire will spread to a building, as it did in this case, but this shows that it can happen. Luckily nobody was hurt."

The Costcutter reward will be paid to anyone who provides information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with the blaze.

PC Ian Murray, of York police, said: "I can confirm that we're dealing with this incident as a suspicious fire. We're making inquiries in the area and hoped news of this reward would stimulate people into coming forward with information."

A free bus was today running from the York village to nearby Wilberfoss so that villagers could visit the Costcutter and Post Office there. A Post Office counter in the supermarket was also completely destroyed in the blaze.

The bus service, provided by Lawn's Coaches of Stamford Bridge, will run for five days, but may be extended until temporary shop premises are set up.

Costcutter spokeswoman Angela Barber said: "This is a temporary measure to ensure that our loyal customers still have access to Post Office facilities and the usual services our customers have come to expect from Costcutter."

There are plans to set up a temporary store and Post Office, possibly in the village hall, until the store can be reopened. The free bus was running at 9.30am, 11.30am and 1.30pm today. Tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday the bus is running at 9.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. On Sunday the bus will run at 10am, 12 noon and 2pm, but customers are reminded that the Post Office will not be open.

Anyone with information about the fire should phone York CID on 01904 669353.

Updated: 10:41 Friday, July 18, 2003