CANAL Road in Strood has been dubbed a playground for arsonists. Dumped cars are set ablaze there every week. Peter Foreman is so used to fire-raisers striking yards from his pub, the Riverside Tavern, that he has trained himself to wake at the sound of smashing glass.

He says the petty criminals have been targeting the dead-end road for the 16 months he has been landlord, with at least one car being set alight each week during summer months.

The latest incident came in the early hours of Friday when Mr Foreman, 28, was awakened as flames billowed from a car. The silver Fiat Panda, now just a burnt out frame, is thought to have belonged to a man who lives on a boat on the River Medway.

This came just four days after Medway Today reported that Mr Foreman had a lucky escape when flames from a Ford Fiesta spread to the pub and caused £12,000 damage to his windows.

Mr Foreman, who is now considering installing CCTV cameras to protect his property, said: " I'm forever waking up and calling the fire brigade. I'm desperately worried for the pub." Mr Foreman praises the speedy actions of the fire brigade, but is calling on the council to prevent further fires by moving abandoned cars.