A FIRE at Liss in which a police car was destroyed has been confirmed as arson.
Forensic experts were at the site in Inwood Road on Tuesday and WDc Frances Payne said they had reported the blaze was started deliberately.
This was the latest in a series of fires which have occurred over the past eight months. Each fire has been more serious than the one before and police are deeply concerned.
There were two fire incidents involving cars at Liss in the early hours of Tuesday.
Just after 1 am the fire service was called to a burning Vauxhall Carlton which had been parked at the Newman Collard Playing Fields since August 9.
An appliance from Petersfield attended but the car was severely damaged.
Just before 2 am the fire service was called again. This time it was to an unoccupied police house in Inwood Road, where the garage with the police car inside was well alight.
Both Petersfield appliances attended and firefighters were able to prevent the fire spreading to the house but the garage and the car were severely damaged.
Firemen wore breathing apparatus to cope with the toxic smoke created by the burning car.
The unoccupied police house is one of a pair in Inwood Road. The other is occupied but the officer was away at the time.
The spate of fires at Liss was raised at the district police liaison meeting in June, when Inspector Steve Sargent assured villagers that police were taking the incidents very seriously.
During this year there have been fires at the recycling bins in the Hillbrow Road car park, on waste land behind Liss Junior School and East Hill House, a failed attempt to set fire to the empty rectory at St Mary's Church, a fire at the rectory garage, and a roll of carpet set alight at St Mary's Church Hall.
Syke House, a derelict property in Station Road, was set alight several times.
In May, four appliances and 29 fire officers were called to deal with a serious fire there which destroyed the roof and upper storey. The building has since been fenced off.