A police van has been torched in an early-morning arson attack along a quiet village street.

The marked dog unit was parked in Railway Hill, Barham, when a dark-coloured car with its lights off pulled up next to it, set fire to it and drove off at speed.

The attack happened at 3.20am last Wednesday morning and destroyed the van.

The police dog not was in it at the time.

Police are releasing little information about the attack for security reasons and are not speculating about the motive.

However, Ch Insp Mark Arnold said: “The vehicle was empty at the time and no police dog was hurt.

“Officers are investigating the cause of the fire and are appealing for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area or have information regarding the incident.”

Detectives from Canterbury CID are investigating the arson.
Railway Hill was closed off while investigators and scenes of crimes officers scoured the area for clues.

Firefighters say they received the call to attend the scene at 3.32am. They used high pressure hose reels to put out the blaze and left at 4.23am.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the fire was started deliberately.

Police spokesman Sally Smith said: “A dark-coloured car with its lights off was seen in the area and then seen to pull away at speed.

“This is one of a number of lines of inquiry and we would encourage anyone who saw anything suspicious to get in touch.”

Kent Police spokesman Glenn Pearson later added that the attack was isolated. He denied a suggestion that officers taking marked vehicles home had been ordered to keep park them out of sight.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det Insp Kath Way at Kent Police on 01843 222289, quoting crime reference ZY/000603/15.