Farmers hit by spate of straw bale arsons

The cause of the fires, both on land owned by Winterbourne Farms, on Wantage Road and Winterbourne Road, are being treated as suspected arson, however no arrests have been made.
In the first incident, last Monday (August 18), around 300 tonnes of straw - equating to approximately 700 bales - went up in flames in a field on Wantage Road.
The incident was so severe that a reduced speed limit was imposed onto traffic on the M4 due to the amount of smoke leaving the site.
Firefighters repeatedly visited the site to keep it under control until it was finally extinguished on Friday (August 22).
However, the relief of Winterbourne Farm manager, Alistair Taylor, was short-lived, as less than 48-hours another 200 tonnes had been set alight at a nearby field - also owned by Winterbourne Farms - on Winterbourne Road.
He said: possibly the most worrying thing is the fact that somebody has violated something that’s yours.
“And where does it stop? We are trying to make a living out of it, it’s hard enough on a good day.”
In addition, firefighters were called to a similar incident at Kintbury Farm, Templeton Road, and in the early hours of yesterday (Tuesday) morning, a further two crews were called to a blaze in a field in Farnborough, on the Berkshire/Oxfordshire border, at which 600 tonnes of hay was alight, causing an estimated £10,000 of damage.
Both incidents are being treated as arson by police.
Thames Valley Police is investigating all of the incidents. Anyone with information is asked to contact them via the non-emergency 24-hour telephone number 101.
For a more detailed report, pick up a copy of tomorrow’s Newbury Weekly News.