Police plea on village arson attack (From Witney Gazette)

Police plea on village arson attack

4:46pm Monday 1st September 2008 in Witney

Police this evening appealed for witnesses after a serious arson in the village of Bruern, near Milton-under-Wychwood.

Just before 8pm, several gas cylinders were set fire at a house in the village, which in turn set fire to a large heating oil tank. This caused three explosions.

No one was hurt but it caused extensive damage and two cars parked near by were burned out.

Det Sgt Dick White, of Witney CID, said: "Fire investigators attended the scene and they believe the cause of the fire was arson; they have now passed the investigation to us.

"Bruern is a very small village and we need to hear from anyone who may have seen someone acting suspiciously in or around the village, or any suspicious vehicles in the area, anytime after around 6pm.

"In recent weeks there have been a number of similar incidents in the area, especially in nearby Kingham, and if the same people are responsible we need to catch them before they seriously injure someone."

Det Sgt White can be contacted via the Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.

If you don't want to talk to police and don't want to leave your name, call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.