A woman who spent most of the pandemic working in intensive care has had to cancel her holiday following a suspected arson attack in Frome.
Healthcare assistant Jess White, 27, had planned a holiday with her partner Lewy in their campervan next week, but their hopes of getting away were dashed when somebody set fire to it.
The couple had planned to visit Scotland and travel the North Coast 500, a stunning 516-mile route around the north coast of the country, beginning and finishing at Inverness Castle.
Read more: Campervan destroyed in Calne fire – investigation probes cause of blaze
At around 11pm last night (23 August), it’s believed a suspect set fire to the vehicle in Selwood Road using an accelerant on one of the tyres, and once the flames were extinguished by a neighbour, they came back and used firelighters to re-start the blaze.
“I’ve worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic caring for Covid patients under the most extreme stress”, Ms White told Wiltshire 999s.
She continued: “We’re absolutely devastated, this is our home during the summer. Our van was a treat for us and to escape from this reality.
“We are due to go to Scotland next week to do the NC500 in the camper. Unfortunately, this will now need to be postponed as we go through the insurance.
“The hardest part is starting from scratch, our van was just perfect after a year of modifying it to best suit our needs for our travels.”
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We received a call from the fire service at about 11.25pm last night (Monday 23 August) about a vehicle fire they were dealing with in the Selwood Road area of Frome.
“The vehicle, a white Renault campervan, sustained extensive damage during the fire.
“Enquiries, including reviewing CCTV and house-to-house, are ongoing.
“We’d ask anyone who sees an individual(s) acting suspiciously to contact the police immediately.
“Anyone who witnessed the fire, or can assist our investigation, should contact us online or call 101 and give reference number 5221194946.”
This is not an isolated incident, ther have been numerous similar incedents over the past three years in this area of Frome, involving many other vehicles and rubbish bins. Apparently the perpetrator was caught and restrained by a member of the public last night, the police were called by the fire brigade and said they would send someone round in the morning!