A suspected arson attack at a mosque in Manchester is being investigated by police and the fire brigade.

The Manchester Nasfat Islamic Centre on Droylsden Road suffered ‘significant’ damage after a fire late on Sunday night.

Emergency services were called at around 11.40pm and around 30 firefighters worked to tackle the blaze, which is now being treated as suspicious.

Images taken by witnesses show flames coming from the roof of the building, lighting up the sky and surrounding houses.

A spokesman for the centre said there was no one inside at the time, and that they received a call in the night to say ‘it was being attacked’.

The exact cause of the fire is yet unknown but fire investigators are expected to start work on the scene on Monday.

GMFRS confirmed: “We were called at 11.43pm to Droylsden Road in Newton Heath to reports of a fire. We sent five pumps to the scene and an investigation is now underway.”

A spokesman for GMP added: “The fire is being treated as suspicious and a joint investigation has been launched by GMP and GMFRS.”

In 2014, a minibus the centre uses to ferry young and elderly visitors to the mosque, was torched.