Ref 16069/01GAZETTE & HERALD: TEENAGE arsonists are being blamed for a blaze that wrecked part of a large barn near Chippenham Rugby Club on Monday.

Police are hunting the culprits as farmer Mervyn Singer mounts a clean-up operation for the second time in as many months.

It is thought the fire caused £10,000 of damage destroying several pieces of farm machinery and leaving the barn in need of urgent repairs.

"I had 600 bales of hay set on fire a few weeks ago and now this," said Mr Singer, 58. "These youngsters are coming over the bridge from Frogwell and causing havoc. They got away with it the first time so they thought they'd try again, but it's right on the bypass so somebody must have seen them."

Mr Singer, whose family have owned the 180-acre Hayward Farm at Allington since the 1920s, said he was out watching Chippenham Town's football match when the fire started.

"I think a neighbour saw the smoke and called 999, but nobody could get hold of me," he said. "I didn't know what was going on until I got home two hours later."

Four tonnes of straw were destroyed in the fire, as well as a corn drill, crop sprayers and a hedge cutter.

Two fire engines from Chippenham and one from Devizes attended at 5pm on Monday.

Fire crews managed to prevent 12 propane gas cylinders exploding.

Watch manager Jack Nicholson said they could have gone up at any time. "We attacked the gas cylinders straight away by putting a water wall between them and the burning straw. They were a real cause for concern so we focused all our attention on that."

Mr Singer said youngsters were constantly hanging around the area and vandalising his equipment.

"Stuff gets pinched and tipped over all the time but in small doses," he said. "When we had the first fire a few weeks ago I was worried because the bales were set alight in a field. Luckily someone spotted it from the dual carriageway.

"But now this has happened I keep thinking when will it end? They were probably watching from somewhere and enjoying the excitement.

"The oilseed rape bales in the barn were damp you couldn't put a match to them and expect them to go up in a whoosh like straw.

"These kids were literally trying to burn my barn down. That's the worst bit. It was just for the sake of it. "

Mr Nicholson said fire crews would be visiting homes in the area as part of a fire safety campaign to illustrate the danger of arson. "It's damage to the community," he said.