Man arrested in connection with Leegomery car fire
A man has been arrested in connection with a car fire which happened yesterday evening on Leegate Avenue, Telford.
Police were alerted to the incident at 8.25pm by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a silver Daewoo Matiz had been extensively damaged by fire.
Officers are linking the incident to a series of car fires which happened in the early hours of yesterday morning. Between 12.05am and 3am, a number of vehicles were deliberately set alight, which resulted in three vehicles being completely destroyed and two more suffering significant damage.
Acting Chief Inspector Richard Langton said: "After seeing the spate of damage caused yesterday we had put in place additional measures to deter offences and ensure the best possible chance of bringing offenders to justice.
"Unfortunately we were not able to prevent the attack on this vehicle taking place, despite increasing patrols in the area. A significant number of officers attended the location, including a dog handler and the force helicopter.
"The police investigation was supported by forensic officers, fire investigation and a CCTV operator, which resulted in the identification of a group of youths who had been acting suspiciously in the area. A man in his 20s was subsequently arrested in connection with last night's incident and is currently in custody. We are continuing to investigate all the car fires and would like to renew our appeal for any information which might assist us with our inquiries.
"What may be seen as fun to those responsible for the car fires causes great distress and hardship to their victims. People rely on their vehicles for so many reasons and these crimes cause thousands of pounds of damage and affect insurance policies.
"We will continue to seek every opportunity to bring to justice those responsible for these crimes and I would stress that information from the public is critical if we are to succeed, as in the case last night. I would appeal to anyone who has information about this or the previous crimes to contact Telford police station on 0300 333 3000. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can also be called anonymously on 0800 555 111."
