Family’s lucky escape

A TERRIFIED family had a lucky escape when arsonists pushed a blazing wheelie bin against their front door.

A 39-year-old mum-of-five and her children were asleep in Waterton Lane, Mossley, when the incident took place on November 26 at 5am.

One of the children was woken by the dog barking at flames at the door. The boy then alerted his mother who called firefighters.

Police inquiries established that an arsonist had pushed a wheelie bin up against the front door and set it on fire. This caused severe damage to the door but no-one was injured.

Detective Constable Darren Byrne, from Tameside CID, said: “It is lucky the young boy was woken up, otherwise he might not have seen the flames and had time to alert his family.

“We could have been dealing with a number of fatalities.

“The mindless vandal who caused this damage must have known their actions could lead to tragic consequences, but decided to do it anyway, so they are clearly someone who needs to be found.”

Anyone with information should call Tameside CID on 0161-856 9255 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.