30 residents evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night following Peterborough house fire deliberately started in bins

At about 12.20am, fire and police officers were called out to a blaze at a house in Silver Hill, Hampton Hargate.

It is believed the fire was deliberate and started in some bins in an alleyway which then spread to gas mains, resulting in about 30 people being evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night.

All except the occupants of the house which caught fire have since been able to return.

Inspector Sam Tucker, from Peterborough’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Understandably this is a concerning incident for the local community and we are aware of other incidents of deliberate bin fires in the area over the last month.

“While we are keeping an open mind, we cannot rule out that these incidents are not connected. We have got detectives investigating the arsons, as well as additional resources deployed in the area.

“I would urge anyone to report suspicious activity to us on 999, as well as checking any video doorbell footage and sharing anything concerning with us via our website.”

Anyone with information about any of the incidents is urged to report to police online via the online reporting forms, web chat service or by calling 101 and quote incident 7 of 8 November.

Always dial 999 if a crime is in action or someone is in immediate danger.