Anger and fear over series of mysterious caravan conflagrations

A STRING of arson attacks has got neighbours hot under the collar.

In the last eight months, three caravans have been destroyed by fire in the same lay-by on Guildford Road, Effingham, which serves as an access road for six houses.

The day before the most recent attack, on Friday, August 13, resident Cliff Simpson noticed an abandoned caravan and informed the police, but no one came out to inspect it.

He said: “I said, ‘If this isn’t removed quickly it’s going to go up,’ and the next day I called up and said, ‘Too late, it’s gone up.’

“The trees behind the caravan are burnt up to about 20 feet. It must have been a vast explosion.”

Mr Simpson is angry at the authorities for dragging their feet over clearing the wreckage, which has been there for more than two weeks.

He said: “I kept e-mailing the police saying they needed to put cones around the burnt chassis but it took them nearly five days.

“This road has a 40mph speed limit and you can imagine anybody coming into the lay-by at night could have easily have crashed into it.”

A council spokesman said the remains of the caravan had been cleared from the road on Monday.

He added: “We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to residents while the incident was investigated and cleared.

“Full access for the six homes which use the slip road to reach their properties was available throughout.”

As well as problems caused by the burnt-out wreckage, residents are concerned the attacks are getting more dangerous.

Julie Jarman, who also lives on the lay-by, said: “Our neighbour’s son was driving by on the main road when the last one went off. He felt the impact and the heat of the explosion.

“At the minute the person responsible is an arsonist but they could become a murderer.”

Now Guildford Road neighbours are calling for something to be done to stop what they believe is becoming a worrying trend that is putting lives at risk.

Mrs Jarman said: “People come and park in this road to eat their lunch and make phone calls. There’s always a couple of cars parked up.

“What we need is CCTV so that we can see who is doing this. They’ve talked about it but it’s not been done.”

A police spokesman said patrols in the area have increased following the attacks.

He added: “The police are also working via the Joint Action Group, which includes partners such as Guildford Borough Council, to reduce the potential for further vandalism by assuring that abandoned caravans and other vehicles are removed as soon as practically possible.

“The possibility of installing a CCTV camera at the lay-by is also being explored.”