Arsonists set fire to rubbish behind Peterborough shopping park twice in one night

Shops were forced to close early at Bretton Centre after wooden pallets and discarded cardboard was set alight on Saturday evening, just before 7pm.

The fire was started behind the Poundland unit but was prevented from spreading further, towards the Pets at Home store, where there are a number of oxygen tanks, by fire crews.

The fire became well-developed and required crews from both Stanground and Dogsthorpe to extinguish. These crews then returned to their stations but had to be called out again at 10:45pm to deal with a second fire at the same location.

Both fires were thought to have been started deliberately.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “At 7.09pm on Saturday (12) crews from Dogsthorpe and Stanground were called to a fire at the Bretton Centre in Peterborough.

“Firefighters arrived to find a well-developed fire involving pallets and cardboard at the rear of a retail industrial unit. They extinguished the fire and returned to their stations by 8.10pm.

“A crew from Dogsthorpe was called to a further fire at the same location at 10.45pm. They extinguished the fire using a hose reel and returned to their station by 11.30pm.

“The cause of the fires was deliberate. Anyone with information should contact police by visiting www.cambs.police.uk to submit an online report or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”