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A FIRE at a family-run caravan firm in Lostock Hall caused damage estimated at £500,000.

The devastated owners of Campbells Caravans say the arson attack is the worst incident in the firm's 40-year history. A total of 40 caravans were either completely destroyed or left unusable after the incident at midnight on Saturday.
Joint owner Glen Campbell said around 15 of the affected caravans had been bought by customers and every effort was being made to make sure the original delivery dates were met.

"We're a local company employing around 90 people within the group," he said. "You can't get into the mindset of people who would want to do something like this.
"We are striving to make sure our customers don't suffer. Luckily we have supportive manufacturers and I have some good people that have rallied around."

The arson attack took place in a yard in Centurion Way, Leyland, that the company rent out to store stock and caravans that have been bought by the public and are awaiting delivery. Mr Campbell said the caravans ranged in value from £14,000-£21,000. "On first viewing it looks like 40 caravans are totally unusable," he said. "Some are just embers." Mr Campbell said they were insured but the final bill is likely to hit the £500,000 mark.

He said he'd been alerted to the fire by his brother and joint owner Michael who was returning from a night out when he saw the flames. "He rang me and I hurtled down," he recalled. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The caravans were just melting.
"The firefighters were magnificent. They were first class and they worked hard to save as many caravans as possible. It could have been worse."

Around 30 firefighters struggled for around three hours to extinguish the blaze.
They were initially afraid that large calor gas cylinders, used in caravans to fuel stoves and fridges, were inside and could explode however it turned out the cylinders had not yet been fitted.

Watch manager Steve Jackson, of Bamber Bridge Fire Station, said: "There was a big plume of smoke and a big fireball. "There were still a lot of bangs going off because there were things like fridges in them and the tyres were exploding as well.
"It spread pretty quickly because they were so tightly packed. We saved quite a few but we still lost quite a lot because of the nature and instability of the product that was burnt."

The fire is said to be suspicious and investigating officers have seized CCTV footage from a camera nearby. A break in the perimeter fence is also thought to have been found.

I wonder if the people who destroyed these caravans gave a single thought to the fact that the people who bought them had probably worked their backsides off for hundreds of hours in order to afford them.  Or that everyone's insurance premium is going to rise as a result of their actions.

In my book caravans do not come easy and are often one of the biggest items that anyone will buy in a lifetime.  If they catch these people/kids or whoever they might be, their property - no matter how little that might be - should be piled into a bonfire and burned.  See how they like it.