Disaster hit a local farmer, Mr. Oliver Perkins, when a hundred tons of hay and straw were destroyed in a fire at Church Lane Farm, Burton Latimer, last night.  Police are making exhaustive inquiries, and thy have not ruled out the possibility of arson.

Less than an hour after the  alarm was given, the entire haystack, a trailer loaded with bales of straw, a tractor and other farm machinery were blazing, and only a minor stack a short distance away could be salvaged.  Damage is estimated at £2,000.

A Wellingborough crew and two from Kettering fought the blaze through the night after receiving the call at 9.35.

One crew was still there this morning.

It was Mr. Perkins’ entire winter supply, and he is now extremely short of winter fodder, with no idea where he can get more.  “It will be a job replacing it”, he said bitterly.

He believes it was the work of fire-raiser.  “Everything was all-right when I left about 7.30” he explained.  A petrol can is missing from the premises.

“I stopped the tractor at 5 pm , and we left it with the trailer by the stack ready to unload in the morning”.

After attending to farm duties, Mr. Perkins checked that everything was in order “I do that last thing every day”, he stressed.

Oliver & Mrs Perkins

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Footnote: There was a successful investigation of this crime - (click here for court case)