The famous tea clipper Cutty Sark which was gutted by fire in May 2007 was the victim of a dust extractor which had been left plugged in over the weekend, the Metropolitan Police are expected to announce today, according to The Times.

There were no sprinklers on the dry dock site at Greenwich, south-east London to put out the fire once it had taken hold.

The bill for restoration has risen to £35 million.