A man has been sentenced to four years in prison for deliberately setting fire to a barn near the White Horse.
Liam Jones, 29, called police himself shortly after committing the offence at around 3pm on 24th January this year.
He admitted over the phone that he had set fire to the barn on Quarry Lane, near to the Westbury White Horse.
Jones was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on 22nd April after he pleaded guilty to arson.
In a statement read out in court, the farmer who owned the barn explained just how devastating an impact the fire had had.
He told the court, “The impact that this has had on me and my business has been vast. The fire caused stress to young cattle that were housed in the adjoining building to where the fire was. The cattle were affected by the smoke, and some developed a cough caused by the smoke.
“This may also have long-term health damage to them and may even cause restrictions to their growth rate.
“Due to the fire, I had to find alternative housing for the cattle, which proved to be an enormous task, as they were of different age groups and I had to mix male and female cows together.
“My main barn has completely burnt down which housed all my feed that I required until springtime. This included around 300 feed bales and 30 more large bales of straw, which was needed for bedding. The estimated cost of the lost feed and bedding was around £25,000.
“The whole incident has caused huge stress to my family and especially my two young children, who were extremely upset to see the aftermath of the fire and the impact that this thoughtless and inconsiderate act has had on my family and my business.”
Once released from prison Jones will remain on licence for three years. He was also ordered by the court to pay a surcharge of £228.
Local crime investigator Maria Doyle, of Wiltshire Police, said, “This reckless and dangerous incident of arson has caused a significant financial loss to the farmer as well as causing issues with feed for his animals.
“This was a serious offence that could have easily gone out of control.
“Tackling rural crime remains a priority of Wiltshire Police, and we will not hesitate in bringing charges to court.”
