Two men arrested following arson incidents in Winsford

Officers investigating a series of deliberate fires in the Winsford area have arrested two men.

The first incident occurred at around 5.17pm on Sunday 4 August, when police became aware that two men had set a fire on High Street, Winsford, causing a nearby telegraph pole to catch light.

Then, at around 9.43pm that night, officers assisted Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service following reports that a school bus had been set aflame near to the Lifestyle Centre.

At 10.21pm, while officers were conducting enquiries in relation to these incidents, they were made aware that a number of wheelie bins and telegraph poles had also been set on fire on Leyland Walk, Glebe Green, and Ford Road.

A further small fire was reported at 12.27am in the area of Mount Pleasant Drive.

Officers were then called to reports of criminal damage at an address on St Chads Field, and two men from Winsford, aged 30 and 24, were subsequently arrested on suspicion of arson.

They remain in custody and are being questioned by officers.

Detective Sergeant Thomas Philpotts said:

“I would like to reassure members of the community that these incidents are believed to be isolated and unrelated to the ongoing disorder across the country.

“As a result of the work of quick-thinking local officers, we have been able to identify two suspects in relation to the incidents and they are currently being held in custody.

“Their behaviour was not only extremely dangerous and completely unacceptable, but it will also cost tax payers a considerable sum of money with damage repairs.

“Thankfully, no-one was injured as a result of these fires, but these men showed no regard for the safety of the local community or the owners of the property they set aflame.

“We are treating these incidents incredibly seriously and enquiries are ongoing. As part of our investigation, we want to speak to anyone who was in the area and saw anything suspicious.

“The same goes for anyone with any CCTV or dashcam footage which may aid the investigation.”