TWO teenage girls have been arrested following an arson attack in Westbury last Thursday night (May 6).

Shortly after 6.30pm, police were called by the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to Coach Road Farm where a straw barn was suspected to have been set on fire deliberately.

Two local girls, aged 12 and 14, were arrested on suspicion of arson and have since been released under investigation.

PCSO Alice Moore, of the Warminster Area Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We can’t stress enough the dangers of deliberately starting a fire like this.

“We attended along with the fire service who, fortunately, were able to contain the fire but not without it causing substantial damage that will cost the farm owner thousands of pounds, with the barn housing straw feed for livestock.

“This was a senseless and reckless act and could have had much more dire consequences."

She added: “We’d like to remind people that hay bales are not toys to play on and are highly flammable and we plea to people to take extreme care to avoid starting a fire, especially as we start to head towards the summer months.”