Arrest made following arsons in Hatherley area of Cheltenham

An arrest has been made in connection with a series of arsons in the Hatherley and Charlton Kings area of Cheltenham.

Officers from the Cheltenham Neighbourhood Policing Team arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of arson yesterday afternoon.

Police had been called to Broad Oak Way last Wednesday evening after reports that the fire service were attending to a number of hedge fires. Reports were also received of similar incidents in Charlton Kings.

Local officers conducted house to house and CCTV enquiries the following day and identified the man before making the arrest. He has since been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Officers are continuing to ask witnesses to come forward so that they can piece together what happened.

Sergeant Julia Martin-Jones said: "We have worked non-stop to identify who we think is responsible as we know the impact this has had on the local community.

"Everyone is working together to gather evidence and I would like to ask local residents to please check any Ring doorbells or CCTV systems in case it shows something that we haven't already been given.

"We will continue to take part in patrols in the area but it’s vital that people remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us."

Information can be submitted by completing the following online form and referencing incident 472 of 1 September: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/

Alternatively you can call 101 or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.