GAZETTE & HERALD: A family of six whose home was attacked by arsonists last Saturday, say they have no idea who would want to threaten their lives.

Alan and Karin Needham and two of their four sons were asleep at their home in Malmesbury Road, Chippenham, when they were awoken by their downstairs smoke alarm just before midnight.

Rushing downstairs the couple saw flames leaping from the floor to the ceiling near their front door.

Mrs Needham said: "There was already a lot of smoke in the hallway and in the boys' bedrooms and we had difficulty waking them.

"We put the fire out using a jug of water and realised it hadn't been an accident and that someone had put burning paper through our letterbox.

"We're just glad our smoke alarm sounded, we've had it since the boys were babies and just take it for granted, but it saved our lives."

The two boys at home are school age. Fire crews were sent to the house along with police officers who found that the ignited paper which had been shoved through the door had melted the letterbox draft excluder which had then dropped on to the hallway carpet and continued to burn.

"We have had a fire at the house before but that was accidental," said Mrs Needham.

"We do not know why anyone would want to do this to us deliberately.

"If anyone had a problem with us we would like to think they would be able to come and talk to us about it, not do something like this."

DC Ian Lansdowne of Chippenham CID said he had been shocked by the attack.

"If it hadn't been for the smoke alarm, this family could have lost their lives," he said.

"This is clearly a malicious attack, but the family have no idea why it has been directed at them.

"Our inquiries are continuing but a witness has recalled seeing a light-coloured saloon car parked outside the Parklands residential home alongside the property around the time of the incident and we are very anxious to contact the owner of that car.

"It was parked with its tail-lights on around midnight and may have been dropping someone off.

"We would very much like to speak to the driver because they may have seen the person responsible for the attack.

"Obviously, what they have to say will be treated in the strictest confidence."

Firefighters who attended the arson on Saturday night praised the family for their quick-thinking actions

"They dealt with the situation quickly and calmly, but of course they were able to do this because they had a smoke alarm," said firefighter Jack Nicholson.

"We cannot stress enough the importance of smoke alarms they save lives, as this case shows.

"An investigation is taking place and following the attack we have been calling at neighbouring homes to check their fire precautions," he added. "This exercise is called a hot-strike."