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| Police investigate arson 'campaign' Police are hunting a lone bomber thought to be behind a series of arson attacks at haulage yards across north-east England. Officers investigating a number of attacks - which have cost an estimated £15m - said it was a "miracle" no-one had been killed. They believe a single person is responsible for the six-month campaign which began with an attack on a Newcastle City Council vehicle depot. Detective Inspector Steve Fear said: "Whoever did this clearly has no regard for human life." The first attack in June last year caused £2m of damage to vehicles in the depot. Police have since linked five further attacks, on the haulage firms Owen Pugh Ltd in Dudley, North Tyneside; New Country Road Surfacing in Birtley near Gateshead; Union Trucks in Camperdown, North Tyneside; Be Modern Ltd in Jarrow, South Tyneside and JP Simpson in Berwick, Northumberland. The five attacks took place between September and December last year. The cost of replacing damaged vehicles was conservatively estimated to be £5m but Northumbria Police said that figure could be trebled when the damage to buildings, loss of earnings and lost business revenue was taken into account. Windows smashed There have also been concerns over the impact on the environment with burning fuel, plastics and other hazardous materials causing pollution and health scares to residents living near to depots. Mr Fear added: "It is a miracle no-one has been killed as a result of these fires. "At one of the yards a petrol tanker was close to going up. "I don't need to spell out the consequences that that could have had for the emergency services at the scene as well as nearby residents." After consulting an offender profiler, Mr Fear said the 40-strong team of investigators, which includes fire officers, believed one person was responsible for the spate of attacks. He said there was much speculation over why haulage firms were being attacked and he said it was possible the offender had a grudge against the industry. He said: "We would suspect the person has some knowledge of the haulage industry because some of the sites attacked are not very apparent." The arsonist breaks into depots, smashes cab windows and pours an accelerant into each vehicle before fleeing, he said. Mr Fear appealed to the culprit to stop before someone was killed. He added: "Whoever is doing this is taking a massive risk with their own life, starting fires in environments which are already highly flammable." 18th January 2002 |
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