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Police in Thatcham, Berkshire are investigating five fires, in which cars and furniture were torched outside residents homes in the early hours of Saturday 23rd February, in a suspected arson attack.

Firefighters were called to Humber Close in the town, after being alerted by residents at 4am. This street community had already endured the devastating and destructive floods last July that destroyed their homes. Firemen tackled fires to four skips and a pile of furniture,  a car was also reported on fire in nearby Baily Avenue.

The furniture and skips that were situated in the front gardens of the victims homes contained the water damaged possesions destroyed by the flooding in the summer. Susan Chandler, of Humber Close saw her furniture set alight as it had been left out to be picked up by West Berkshire Council. Firemen returned at 7am after a skip reignited.

22 -year old student Andrew Hall happened to be walking nearby the fire ridden Street after coming home from a night out in Newbury. He said, “i could smell smoke and heard a strange noise like a motor running, so i decided to look down Humber Close which is down an alley off my road. I could see the reflection of blue flashing lights so carried on walking out of morbid curiosity and in case people were in trouble.”

“All i could see was the engine and residents out in their pyjamas. Then a fireman walked toward me and checked a couple of skips in the area, which were there as a result of last year’s flooding. He seemed to be checking for further fires, but soon returned to the rest of the fire crew.”    

The car found torch in Baily Avenue, a short disctance away from the other fires, began in an estate car and then spread to a van and car parked beside it. 

These incidences are not the first to hit Thatcham in the past month. Two residents in Exmoor Road had the back windows of their cars smashed in the early hours of a day in  early February. Bricks were found nearby and are believed to be the obvious cause.

Thames Valley Police are now looking into the incident.

Add comment February 27, 2008