A woman who provides food to emergency services staff during the coronavirus lockdown had her car set on fire in a spate of arson attacks.
Julie Galyer, 55, from Cleethorpes, woke up after hearing a loud bang at 4am on Friday, finding her Vauxhall Astra and her husband’s van on fire.
She no longer feels safe in her home and said she ‘was left shaking’ after the arson attack, which forced her to take the day off work.
Julie Gayler’s Vauxhall Astra was set on fire at 4am on Friday in a string of arson attacks in the Cleethorpes area
Julie, 55, was left feeling ‘ill’ after the arson and now has to use her husband, Colin’s, car to get to work
The attack happened at 4am in the morning and Julie could not go in to work the next day. She works at Grab & Go cafe in Grimsby, serving food to emergency service workers
The keyworker, who works at Grab & Go on Yarborough Road, Grimsby, now has to borrow her husband’s car to get to the cafe.
She has provided hot food to emergency service workers throughout the coronavirus outbreak.
Julie said: ‘I felt ill with it, I really did. I was shaking afterwards.
‘It was Friday morning, at about 4am, and we were in bed. We heard a bang and I turned to my husband, Colin, and said ‘do you hear that?’
‘He went outside and saw that my car was on fire, came back in and told me to call the fire service.
‘Colin’s van was next to mine and got a lot of damage too.
‘I think they’re both going to be written off because of it, at least mine definitely will be. We’re still waiting to hear back from our insurers.
‘The fire fighters came over and told us it was arson, and then started asking us if anyone had any ill will towards us.
‘I just don’t understand how anyone could do that. We are all meant to be inside and staying safe, not out doing this at 4am.
‘I am still working at the moment, I work at Grab & Go on Yarborough Road and we mostly serve emergency service workers and other key workers.
‘I had to take the day off work, as you can imagine, and thankfully my husband is lending me his car so I can still get to work.
‘I’m going to have to set up cameras and other safety precautions now, though, I don’t feel safe anymore.
A Volkswagen Golf belonging to another keyworker was also set on fire on March 26 in a string of eight arson attacks in the area
‘To have the police and fire officers ask us if we had anyone holding grudges against us or our sons was worrying and upsetting.
‘It’s horrible to go through something like this anyway, but everything with Covid-19 at the moment, and being unable to see your family and friends and staying inside, then one idiot does this.’
The vehicles are just two of eight cars that have been set on fire in the past month and a half.
One was torched on Thrunscoe Road, Cleethorpes the day after Julie’s, and the town’s derelict Thrunscoe Centre was also set alight.
A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing several fires on Saturday and last night remained in police custody.
Police are appealing to witnesses for the arson attacks on Louth Road, Sandringham Road, Lindsey Road, Peterson Road, the Thrunscoe Centre and Halton Place
Officers are searching for a pair of discarded red trainers and a mobile phone somewhere between Highgate and the beach following the arrest.
Detective Inspector Kerry Bull said: ‘I know this recent spate of fires in Cleethorpes has been a cause for concern to our local community and I am pleased to confirm we have a man in custody in connection with these incidents.
‘As part of our enquiries we are appealing for the help of the local residents.
‘The suspect was arrested on Saturday afternoon at around 5.40pm on Trinity Road and was wearing a pair of red, white and blue shorts and a grey polo shirt.
‘We believe that he may have discarded a pair of red trainers and a mobile phone in the Highgate to Cleethorpes beach area.
‘We have officers and dogs searching for these items but are appealing for anyone in that area to call us if they see these items.
A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing several fires on Saturday and last night remained in police custody
‘Please don’t move them, just call us, we can do the rest.
‘I am also appealing for anyone who may have been at the scene of some recent fires to call us if they saw anyone acting suspiciously or hanging around the vicinity of these offences.’
The recent fires that police are appealing for witnesses to are:
- A car fire at the Rose & Crown on Louth Road on March 1
- A car fire on Sandringham Road on March 7
- A car fire on Lindsey Road on March 26
- Two cars set alight on Peterson Drive in Grimsby on March 30
- Fire at the derelict Thrunscoe Centre, Highgate on April 1
- Two vehicles set alight on Halton Place, Cleethorpes on April 10
- A car fire on Thrunscoe Road, Cleethorpes on April 11
The Volkswagen Golf set alight on Lindsey Road on March 26 also belonged to keyworkers. The fire spread to a nearby fence.
The owner told GrimsbyLive following the blaze: ‘It is a time when we are supposed to be looking out for one another.’
Det Insp Bull added: ‘If you saw these fires, saw anyone acting suspiciously at the scene or have information that might help with our enquiries, I urge you to call us as a matter of urgency.
‘The information you hold may be very important to our investigations.
‘Anyone that finds a pair of red trainers or has information about the vehicle fires we have detailed please call us on our non-emergency number 101 quoting reference 16/41028/20.’