Warning over van arsonist

A LEWES couple have warned fellow traders of an arsonist on the loose after their van was set alight in broad daylight.

Jo and David Vincent were at their shops in the Riverside Centre when the firebug struck, on Friday.

The couple suspected foul play when David returned to the vehicle after the blaze to find the tax disc had disappeared.

Police believe the mystery intruder may have dropped a lit cigarette inside the cab when he entered the vehicle to steal the tax disc, which still had nearly 12 months left on it.

David, who runs Riverside Carpets, had parked his Talbot Express van in Railway Lane in order to drop Jo off at work. He then popped into the Riverside Centre to have a cup of tea with his wife before leaving to deliver a carpet to a customer.

However, before he could start his tea, a neighbouring trader ran into the shop to alert them that their van was going up in flames.

David said: 'The fishmonger came in to say the van was smoking. I went out to the van and was just about to open the driver s door when I saw that it was about to go up. I backed off just in time because just then the whole cab went up in flames.

The force of the blaze blew out the windscreen and totally gutted the van s cab. The only consolation for David was that carpets which would normally have been in the back of his van were still in his warehouse. 'There s usually about 1,000 worth of carpets in the van, he said, 'but luckily this time there was only some underlay and tools.

Jo, who runs Spellbound and Spirit, also in the Riverside Centre, said the fire could have been started by the thief in order to cover his tracks. 'I think whoever stole the tax disc must have thought "Have I left any fingerprints" and then dropped the cigarette deliberately. The van went up too quickly for it just to be an accident.

The van has been taken to a compound in Chichester after being declared an economic write-off.

A police spokesman this week confirmed that the incident was being treated as arson. Anybody with any information is asked to ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.