Fire destroys tippers at ARC Central site
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• Police suspect arsonists were responsible for a fire which gutted seven tipper lorries parked overnight at an ARC Central depot at St Ives, Huntingdon.
The lorries, worth £200,000, caught fire during the early hours of 9 June.
"We are treating the matter as arson," says a Cambridge Police spokesman, adding that other lorries were damaged in the incident. No motive for the attack is known.
ARC Central says that three of the burned out vehicles were owned by ARC contract drivers, the other four belong to ownerdrivers. "The cause of the fire has not been determined," it says.
However, ARC says that the trucks were "strategically spaced out" to prevent the spread of any fire.
"We've been told that arson is a strong possibility but we cannot comment," says ARC.
The company has called in lorries from other areas to cover for the seven tippers.
The Road Haulage Association's Eastern region is puzzled by the attack and says it has not heard of any others in the area.
The Cambridge Fire Brigade says that the lorries were still ablaze when it arrived at the depot shortly after midnight. Its report states that the lorries were ignited by matches. A Fire Brigade spokesman says it was a "well planned attack".
The gutted tippers included three Fodens, a Leyland Roadtrain, an ERF and a Volvo with trailer.