Police patrols upped on Newport estate after deliberate fires

Residents on the estate said they feared someone would end up getting killed as a result of the fires.

Incidents have been happening over several months, with South Wales Fire and Rescue confirming that deliberate fires had been started in Hoskins Street at 11.56pm on June 1 last year, and at around midnight on September 9, while a vehicle was deliberately set alight there at around 5.20am last Tuesday, January 28 .

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Fire crews were called out to a vehicle fire in Glastonbury Close, Shaftesbury, at around 2.25am on May 11 last year, and in Pugsley Street, a caravan was set alight just after midnight on January 12 this year. Both incidents are believed to have been deliberate.

Another fire in Pugsley Street, at around 1.40am on January 15, is believed to have been accidental.

A burnt out car after the most recent attack on Hoskins Street in Newport

Gwent Police, and fire and rescue service chiefs met yesterday at Newport's Malpas Fire Station to review their response to the fires.

“As a result, we will be increasing patrols in the area and all crimes are currently being reviewed and lines of inquiry being looked at," said Sergeant Phil Welti of Gwent Police.

The burnt out front door at Hoskins Street in Newport

“We will continue to work closely with our colleagues in South Wales Fire and Rescue Service to tackle these destructive and dangerous crimes.”

A fire service spokeswoman said: “Our Specialist Fire Crime Unit, along with the Station Commander and crews from Malpas Fire and Rescue Station, are working closely with our partners at Gwent Police, the local authority and local housing associations such as Newport City Homes to reduce such incidents and ensure the safety of residents is paramount.”