A WASTE management firm is fighting back after an arson attack caused them more than £50,000 worth of damage.

Six vehicles - half the fleet - were burnt out at family-owned Thomas Waste Management, in Victoria, Ebbw Vale, during the intense fire in the early hours yesterday. Five lorries and a JCB were completely gutted in the blaze.

Police say an accelerant was used to start the fire and a petrol can found at the site is being examined.

But the firm says "it's business as usual", borrowing rigs to keep going. The firm has been operating on the site for nearly nine years and is owned by the Thomas family of Brynmawr - brothers Gareth, Howard, Clive and Barry and their mother Dianne - who previously ran Abergavenny Waste Disposal.

Yesterday, Gareth Thomas (pictured) said the family was very shocked and that it was the first such incident to hit the business.

But he stressed they were also determined to carry on as normal. He said: "It is a great inconvenience to us and our customers, but it is very much business as usual. "We are very upset about this but we are not going to give up after nine years of hard work - we will get up and get going."

Mr Thomas added that some of the firm's ten vehicles had not been parked at the site and that firefighters had also managed to save one of the lorries from burning.

"The alarm was raised by our neighbours, who heard an explosion, at around 1.30am and I got a call from the fire service at around 2.10pm," he said.

Mr Thomas says the firm is offering a £2,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

Detective Sergeant Ian Gough, of Ebbw Vale police, said : "We are treating this as an arson attack and we would appeal for anyone with information to contact us on 01495 350999," he said.