Rough sleepers’ tents are set on fire deliberately
TENTS belonging to people sleeping rough in a city centre have been deliberately burned down.
Emergency services were called to a fire in the car park underneath the Old Green Roundabout in Newport at about 6pm on Wednesday.
Gwent Police found tents containing the clothes, bedding and possessions of rough sleepers on fire. Nobody was in the tents at the time of the fire.
Officers said no injuries had been reported, but they are treating the fire as deliberate with enquiries ongoing.
Hayley Thomas, from Blackwood, regularly visits Newport city centre to provide homeless people with food, bedding, tents and clothes.
She was alerted to the fire at about 6pm and had volunteers on the scene shortly afterwards.
“I think there were five tents but one has kind of been abandoned because the guy has moved,” Hayley said.
“Nobody was in them at all. They were all empty. We know that there are cameras just above and we were told the police are looking at CCTV. But that doesn’t help the situation for these people.”
Hayley’s team of volunteers, who call themselves the Helping Caring Team Homeless Project, have been supporting rough sleepers in Newport since December.
Hayley believes five people were living in the tents, including one couple. One had been left by a young man who had recently been found a place in a hostel.
She has been attempting to collect donations of replacement tents, clothing and bedding for each of the victims of the fire.
Hayley said she has tried to contact them to see what they require, but many have lost mobile phones in the fire.
“They have been in that car park since February with no problems,” Hayley said.
“I honestly don’t know. There certainly wasn’t anyone in the tents at the time so it wasn’t by accident or anything like that.”
A spokesman for Gwent Police said officers are treating the fire as deliberate and enquiries are ongoing.
“At approximately 6pm on Wednesday, September 4, we were called to reports of a fire near the Old Green Roundabout, Newport,” he said.
“The incident is reported to have taken place under the A4042 flyover, near Newport Castle. No injuries have been reported.
“We are currently treating the fire as suspicious and our inquiries are ongoing.”
Officers are asking anyone with any information to call Gwent Police on 101 quoting reference number 1900327216.
They can also be contacted on Facebook or Twitter. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.