ARSONISTS are thought to be behind two fires that broke at an urban forest in Gorse Hill.

The first blaze took hold shortly after the group that maintains the Hreod Burna Urban Forest finished grass-cutting.

Volunteers had mowed Pickards Small Field, an area with picnic benches, and piled the grass up.

They usually burn the piles but decided that to do so in such dry conditions and hot weather would be dangerous. But yobs set the grass alight.

Josie Lewis, membership and communities officer for Hreod Burna, said: “It would have been silly to do that in this weather.

“The piles must have been very tempting for kids to set fire to.

“It started getting out of control and they must have run off because they weren’t there when the fire crews arrived.

“One of the neighbours let the fire service in to use her garden so they could reach the burning grass.

“They finished damping everything down by 10pm.

“Some of the young trees were scorched, but they’ll recover, and the grass was burnt but it’ll grow back.

“Thank you to the fire service, their prompt and efficient actions stopped it from spreading. It could have been so much worse.”

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Rescue Service said: “We were called to a report of a fire in the open at the allotments on Omdurman Street in Gorse Hill.

“On arrival, the crew found an area of grass alight measuring 30m x 3m which they extinguished using beaters and buckets of water.”

“At 9.09pm, one pump from Swindon attended a large area of straw alight at the rear of Malvern Road in Gorse Hill.

“Beaters and a hose reel jet were used to extinguish the fire.”

This is the latest in a series of misfortunes to befall the urban forest.

Earlier this year, a thief stole one of its six picnic benches.

A kind Adver reader saw their appeal and donated a bench to the group which replaced the one they’d lost.

But within weeks this new bench had also been stolen.

It was then vandalised beyond repair, along with another picnic bench, then dumped back on the forest’s grounds.

The 17 acres of semi-wild woodland between Pinehurst and Gorse Hill features a variety of animals and fauna, including a bluebell wood.

The area is maintained by the Hreod Burna Urban Forest charity, who hope to keep this natural open space as a haven for wildlife and a peaceful area for visitors to relax in.

This recent spate of vandalism that the urban forest has suffered certainly isn’t helping them achieve this goal.