UPDATED: Police hunt double arsonist (From Echo)

Police probe two arsons in Grays

8:30am Wednesday 15th February 2012 in Basildon By Gina Marden

POLICE probing two arsons in which damage totalling nearly £3,000 was caused, have released CCTV images of a man they are looking for.

The incidents happened just minutes apart. The first happened between 4am and 4.30am on Tuesday, January 24, in Defoe Parade, Chadwell St Mary.

A Ford Fiesta was torched causing £400 damage. Shortly after, in nearby Tasker Road, yobs threw a concrete slab through the window of a Toyota Starlet before setting light to it. The blaze spread to a nearby fence and gate, causing £2,450 in damage.

Police have released CCTV images of a man caught on camera near the scene.

Investigating officer Pc Jennifer McLean, of the Grays area investigation team, said: “This man was seen on CCTV near the scene at the time, so we want to speak to him as part of our investigation.

“Whoever is responsible for these arsons should be made to face up to their actions, which have cost several people a lot of money, and it is lucky that no-one was injured.”

The man police are hunting is white and wore a white or cream jacket. Witnesses to the incidents can contact PC McLean on 101.