Wheelie bin compound destroyed

Wheelie bins full of rubbish were destroyed when arsonists targeted a North Shropshire bin compound, in a blaze fire officers are calling “severe”.

Firefighters from Whitchurch and from Prees were called out early yesterday to Paul’s Moss Court flats, where a compound containing about 35 wheelie bins had been set alight.

Sub-officer Mike Beach, from Whitchurch fire station, said the majority of the wheelie bins were destroyed, but luckily garages next to the 8m by 2m compound had not been affected.

He said crews were alerted to the fire at shortly before 1am and spent two-and-a-half hours dealing with the incident.

“I suspect someone may have set it on fire,” he said. “It was quite a severe fire and it was burning well when we got there so there’s not a lot of evidence because it has destroyed the bins.

“At least three quarters of them are completely destroyed, and the other 25 per cent are about 50 per cent destroyed.

“There were a lot of people about. Obviously the noise of our pump fetched more people out, but there were a lot of people outside already when we got there.

“We had to get access to the garages just to check it had not spread to them.

“It was a suspicious fire, there’s no doubt about that.”

West Mercia Police spokesman Richard Ewels said police are now investigating the fire.

“If anyone saw people acing suspiciously in that area in the early hours of Sunday, between 12.30am and 1.30am, please could they contact Whitchurch police,” he said

Whitchurch police can be contacted on 08457 444888.