A ‘potentially fatal’ arson attack on a hedge next to pensioners home has led police to appeal to the public for information.

Residents of Bapton Close say they feel frustrated that a month after school children were seen running away from a hedge fire, which caused �5,000 of damage, the culprits have still not been caught.

On June 7, at around 8am, the six-foot high hedge between Pound Lane and Bapton Close was set alight.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said that the lane is used by school children to get to the community college and several were seen running away.

He said: “The fire spread quickly and the police and fire brigade were called.

“The hedge abutted the house where an elderly lady lives and she was still in bed at this time and had to be roused and got out of the house, as the fire had spread to the corner of her property.”

The resident said that subsequently he has discovered that the police had closed the case: “This could have been a potentially fatal incident.

“We wish to raise the profile of what we are told by the police is a spate of arson attacks taking place in the town and they have a number of suspects, but do not seem to give it a high profile.

“When I challenged the police officer concerned, he blamed the budget cuts and the fact that he was very busy and didn’t feel that he could get any real evidence.”

Sergeant Phil Godfrey said: “It was definitely arson. Unfortunately, there were no witnesses and there is no evidence.

“Anybody who has any information about this incident, please call the police.”

You can contact the police anonymously on Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 quoting crime reference numbers: KE/11/627 and KE/11/1626.