Firefighters tackle
blazes in Maidstone toilets

by Anna Roberts and Alan Smith

A serial arsonist who torches toilets has struck for the third
time.

A small fire was discovered in McDonald's in Week Street,
Maidstone, after two earlier fires in other parts of the town.

Shop owners have been put on high alert after loos in both the
Mall Chequers centre and Sainsbury’s supermarket were torched.

The toilets in the Mall Chequers centre were set alight at about
8am.

About an hour later, shortly after 9am, a blaze was started
in the loos in the Romney Place store.

Shoppers have been evacuated from the supermarket as
firefighters tackle the blaze.

Members of the MaidSafe scheme have been warned an arsonist
could be targeting the town centre.

Town centre manager Bill Moss said: “The person who has set the
Sainsbury’s toilets alight is likely to be the person who has set
the Chequers toilets alight earlier today.

“They set fire to the toilet rolls which caused other things to
set alight.

“No one was hurt in the Chequers incident but the toilets are
likely to be shut for a few days.”

A Kent Police spokeswoman said: “We can confirm there were two
fires this morning.

"One in the Chequers centre which the fire service attended at
8.16am and one in Sainsbury’s which the fire service and police
attended at 9.37am.”

Did you witness either blaze? Email your accounts
tomessengernews@thekmgroup.co.uk or
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