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£1,000 reward over donkey shed arson - COMMENT ON THIS STORY
SCARBOROUGH beach donkeys had a lucky escape after vandals burnt down their shed.
Now their owner Melanie Fisher is putting up a 1,000 reward for any information leading to a conviction.
She said: "The whole shed had been burnt to the ground. The fire brigade thought it was arson, because there is nothing there that could have set it alight."
The shed was just yards from where the donkeys grazed.
One of the donkeys was Scarborough's pride and joy, Freddie, who last autumn won Best Beach Donkey in the North East of Yorkshire in annual awards run by the Donkey Sanctuary.
The shed, in Queen Margaret's Road, was where the donkeys' saddles and bridles were kept.
Mrs Fisher, who operates the team of 23 donkeys in South Bay, said the shed and all the tack had been destroyed.
She said: "And it's just days before the start of the new season."
Fortunately she has been able to replace everything quickly through the help of friends in the business. She especially thanked "Donkey Dave" for his quick response to her ordeal.
"Thankfully I have got sorted, but if I hadn't I probably would have lost all of Easter."
The fire brigade, who arrived to find the blaze already extinguished, believed the fire could have been started maliciously.
North Yorkshire police investigated the incident and agreed the fire could have been started deliberately, as the door to the shed had been forced.
It is not the first time Scarborough's beach donkeys and their homes have been attacked.
Last July vandals cut through barbed wire to Guy Smith's donkey shelter and set bales of straw alight.
A 10ft-long iron bar and pellets from a ballbearing gun were also found near the scene, but there were no signs that his donkeys had been harmed.
In 2007 Mrs Fisher's donkeys were attacked by yobs with air rifles and one of her donkeys, Jed, was found with a pellet embedded in his neck.
At the same time, vandals cut through wire fencing at Queen Margaret's Road allowing some of the animals to escape.
And last year, two of her donkeys were attacked by a stray English bull terrier while they were carrying children along South Bay beach.
In the latest incident it is thought Mrs Fisher's shed had been ablaze for a number hours between midnight and 8am on Saturday.
Anyone with information is asked to phone Evening News reporter Kirsty Beever on (01723) 383810 who will pass details on to the police.
Police are appealing for witnesses. Anyone with information should contact PC Georgina Hanson 1654 on 0845 6060247 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Police reference number 12090055413.
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Weather for Scarborough
Thursday 24 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
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