Families in terror over arson attacks
In each case, fires have been set in the same road, yards from where children slept in terraced homes.
And on each occasion, taxi drivers have been among the victims.
The latest blaze happened around 3am on Sunday, December 7, at the rear of homes in Church Way.
A spokeswoman for the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Ellie Gray, said: “We got the call at 3.06am and one pump from Hungerford and one from Newbury attended. Three vans and one car were involved and four firefighters used breathing apparatus, two hose reels and a fire hydrant.”
The fire was out by 3.54am - but not before it had devastated vehicles belonging to local residents including Tommy Donelan and Sam Vallance.
Two men were seen in the area at the time of the incident.
They were white, in their early 20s, with short, black hair.
One wore a black T-shirt and light coloured jeans; the other wore a bacl hooded jumper.
Police would be particularly interested in speaking to either of these men.
It was the second time that Mr Donelan, a cab driver, and Mr Vallance, a builder, had been the victims of an arson attack.
The previous one happened in Church Way on August 15.
And before that, on July 19, an arson attack happened at the rear of the Church Way home of Mark Townsend of 1st Direct Cars.
On September 11, Thames Valley Police reported four males acting suspiciously near vehicles in Church Way.
Home Office crime statistics also record an incidence of criminal damage and arson on or near Church Way in October this year but no further details are provided.
One Church Way resident, who asked not to be named, said: “All sorts of rumours are flying round. It looks like someone is being deliberately targeted but others are getting caught up in it. It’s frightening because there are lots of families with children along here.”
In the August attack Mr Donelan, a self employed taxi driver and father of four, lost his his garage containing valuable tools and equipment, plus his children's’ toy shed.
A disused maroon Volvo was destroyed and a neighbour’s car was also damaged by the searing heat.
He said this week: “I was woken by the commotion on Sunday morning and thought ‘Oh no, not again.’ My taxi van has been destroyed so that’s my livelihood gone at the moment.”
Mr Vallance lost his Audi TT in the August blaze. In the latest arson attack he lost his Audi A3 car and a Renault Master van containing the vital tools of his trade.
He said: “I woke up and heard a crackling noise. I looked out the window and saw a ball of flames above the fence. I ran down and tried to move my vehicles but I was too late. I grabbed my nail gun and hand tools but that was all I managed to rescue.”
Another resident’s van was also damaged.
Neighbourhood officer Pc Claire Drewitt was unable to say definitively whether the incidents were linked.
Anyone who saw anything suspicious or who may have information regarding either incident should call Pc Samuel Smallridge from Newbury police station via the 101 non-emergency line.
Alternatively the independent Crimestoppers charity can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.