Cattle farmer suffers 17th arson attack since October

Cattle had to be led to safety by firemen after an arsonist attacked a farm for the seventeenth time since October.

Farmer John Hargreaves has been targeted at his 300-acre Grange cattle farm, in the tiny village of East Farndon on the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire border, so many times that he has offered a £2,000 reward leading to the capture and prosecution of the culprit.

A 37-year-old local man – who had previously been questioned by police – was arrested after this latest attack, but has been released on bail.

Twenty tons of hay stacked next to the cattle shed was set alight, and the building was being scorched as firefighters released the 100-strong herd into a field.

“The animals were in real danger,” said Mr. Hargreaves. “The ground they had to be released on has been wrecked, because it was so wet.”

A police spokesman said: “The fire is being treated as arson, and we can’t rule out a link between this and the previous 16 fires.”

Meanwhile, a fire brigade spokesman said: “We were hoping that everything had been sorted out and the police had taken appropriate action. We’re a bit disappointed that this has happened again.”

Hundreds of bales of hay and three tractors have been destroyed in the previous attacks.