Extra safety measures may be brought in at a Perth business after two vehicles at a neighbouring business were set alight by suspected arsonists.
The first vehicle fire took place between 9pm and 9.45pm on Saturday evening and the second at about 11.30pm on Wednesday.
Both took place near family-run business I & H Brown with the second fire damaging part of the front of the building.
A company spokesperson confirmed that both vehicles that were set alight belonged to them and that the police were investigating the matter.
They added that CCTV has caught the person responsible in the act and there is no clear motive.
Some residents and businesses on Dunkeld Road have expressed concern about the situation.
Tayside Police published an appeal for information on Thursday morning with people asked to call 101, quoting incident number 4016 of October 20 if they saw or know anything.
And now following both fires, some nearby residents and businesses have spoken out.
After being approached by The Courier, a spokesperson for Peter Vardy, one of the neighbouring businesses, said he would call the company’s managing director and ask if additional security measures need to be brought in at the site.
He described the situation as “concerning”, adding: “We have CCTV on site; we have a lot of CCTV on site due to the kind of stock we have and items we sell.
“We have hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of stock here. It is worrying.
“You wonder if it is youths or if there is something more to it.
“You also start thinking and worrying ‘will they move onto buildings’ or abandoned buildings — like the Arnold Clark building [in between the two businesses].
“I’m going to phone the managing director and ask if he thinks we should bring in additional safety measures.”
While most of the nearby residents were asleep at the time and unaware the fires took place, one woman heard the first fire on Saturday evening.
Sounded like something ‘crashing into someone’
She said she was watching TV at the time, at about 9pm, when she heard what she described as “a bang”.
She said it also sounded like something “banging into someone” or something “crashing into someone”.
She then heard fire engines arriving.
Another resident said: “It is worrying when it is across the road and you don’t know about it and don’t know it has happened.”
Speaking on the latest incident, Constable Robert Roger from Perth Police Station said: “If you were traveling in the Dunkeld Road area around 11.30pm on Wednesday night and saw anything suspicious, it could prove vital to our enquiries.
“This includes if you have any possible dashcam footage of individuals in the area.
“If you can assist our investigation, please call 101, quoting incident 4016 of October 20.
“Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if you wish to remain anonymous.”