AN ARSONIST targeted a man’s home while he slept upstairs.

At about 4am on Monday in Southfields, Shefford, the victim was awoken by the smell of smoke. He went downstairs and saw that something had been set on fire and pushed through his letterbox.

The victim managed to extinguish the fire himself and later alerted Bedfordshire Police.

Detective Constable Ian Johnson, who is investigating the attack, is keen to hear from anyone who was in the Southfields area at the time of the attack and may have seen anything suspicious. He would particularly like to hear from the driver of a dark-coloured estate car which arrived near the location a few minutes after the attack.

“Thankfully the victim of this attack was able to extinguish the fire himself, but if he had not been woken by the smell of the smoke and the noise of the letterbox this could have been a far more serious incident,” DC Johnson said.

If you have information relating to this incident, call DC Johnson in confidence on 01234 275113 or text information to 07786200011.

Alternatively contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org