POLICE fear a serial arsonist could now be responsible for a blaze that may have resulted in several horses being injured.

The fire started in a field next to Fawley Road, Hythe, where wooden stables about 500 metres from the Hardley roundabout were damaged in the incident.

The blaze was extinguished before it took hold and no animals are thought to have been hurt.

A police spokesman said: “Detectives are investigating whether the incident is linked to similar reports in the area.

“Local people are being asked to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity in the area.”

As reported in the Daily Echo, the spate of arson attacks began at the start of December across the Waterside.

One of the blazes involved stables in a field in Chapel Lane, Fawley. A 50-year-old woman arrived to find a horse trailer containing hay, feed and rugs completely burned out.

About 15 minutes later a 57-year-old woman arrived at Blackfield Health Centre in Hampton Lane, Blackfield, to find a consulting room had been set alight.

The two attacks came just weeks after a spate of similar incidents in the area.