On Thursday 14th July a Highley man was handed an intermediate sentence for public protection of which he must serve at least 577 days before even being considered for release at Shrewsbury Crown Court after admitting Arson at Highley Rugby Club on 9th February 2011.
The rugby club changing room and storage building was completely destroyed by the arson attack; the male was arrested at the scene by police officers.
Arson has a dramatic effect on communities, in an average week in England the cost of arson is 45 million pounds. 1,600 fires are started deliberately, resulting in 50 injuries and 2 deaths, approximately 75% of businesses do not recover from a serious fire.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service fire investigators will always be called out to suspicious fires and we work closely with police Scenes of Crime officers. SFRS is also part of the West Midlands Regional Task Force working with police and fire services regionally tackling the causes of arson. They produce free guidance on business fire safety called ‘Keep Your Business In Business’.
