Shouts of 'rat' heard before two houses and car set alight

Ben Haslam

5 July 2024 at 11:56 am·2-min read

A fire damaged house on Dover Road, Maghull — -Credit: (Image: Liverpool Echo)

Two homes and a car were targeted overnight in linked attacks.

Merseyside Police has launched an appeal for information following two arson attacks in Maghull and Lydiate in the early hours of Friday, July 5. At around 1.30am, police received reports that two men had set fire to a car, believed to be a BMW, and caused damage to the windows of a home on Mallory Avenue in Lydiate.

A short time later, police received further reports that two men had smashed a window and poured accelerant into a house and set it alight on Dover Road in Maghull. Both fires were quickly put out and there were no injuries reported.

One woman told the ECHO: "I just heard all the banging and screaming and shouting. Calling someone a rat. There were five lads there with balaclavas on. They were calling someone a woman beater.

"They were screaming and shouting with bats in their hands. They were smashing the car up. They were well gone. Everyone was outside all the neighbours. I was just like what the hell is going on here. I tried speaking to the girl that was in the house.

"She was saying 'what the f*** has happened?'"

Damaged car on Mallory Avenue, Lydiate -Credit:Liverpool Echo

Both incidents are believed to be linked and the properties are thought to have been targeted. Extensive CCTV and witness enquiries are currently ongoing and detectives are appealing for information.

Detective Inspector Paul McVeigh said: "This was a shocking and reckless attack on two homes that could have had far worse consequences. It’s only by sheer luck that nobody was seriously injured.

"We know the community will be rightly shocked by what happened and we are determined to find the people responsible. We are carrying out a number of lines of enquiry, but I would ask for anyone who knows anything to contact us as a matter of urgency.

"If you live in the area and have CCTV cameras, or you were driving in the area at around the time of the incident and have dashcam footage, please review your footage and come forward if you captured anything."

Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 24000588089.

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here

Manchester Evening News
Man left stunned after checking his Ring doorbell when he was out at work
'I opened Apple Home and saw a mob of ant-like people swarming around inside'
The Telegraph
Young barman ‘beaten’ to death after Ayahuasca ceremony in Venice
A barman was found “beaten” to death in Venice after taking part in an Ayahuasca ceremony in a deconsecrated abbey.
The Independent
Three teens opened a suitcase on the beach hoping for lost treasure. What they found was key to catching the ‘lethal landlord’
Michael Lee Dudley seemed like a typical Washington homeowner – until three teenagers stumbled across a suitcase of horrors on a beach
Swindon Advertiser
These are the Swindon people wanted by police: Call 101 if you see them
Wiltshire Police have been releasing a list of people on their wanted list, in an attempt to get the public's help.
The Telegraph
Parents accused of stabbing 14-year-old daughter to death
A 14-year-old girl was stabbed to death at home after a confrontation with her parents, a court has heard.
News Shopper
UK's most wanted men who may be in London - DO NOT APPROACH
The National Crime Agency have named seven of the UK's most wanted men who could be in London.
The Independent
A Hollywood actor’s daughter was found dead in her home. Her family insists it wasn’t suicide
The 20-year-old was discovered hanging from a scarf in her bathroom by a man claiming to be her boyfriend just hours after an ‘argument’
The Independent
For 30 years he thought his neighbor was ‘creepy’. Then he learned he’s the Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect
It’s almost exactly one year on since Rex Heuermann was arrested for a string of murders that had terrorized the Long Island community of Gilgo Beach for years
Bradford Telegraph and Argus
Bradford men who fled country after their friend was killed 'street racing' arrested
Two Bradford men who fled the country after their friend was killed while they were "street racing" have been arrested.
Swindon Advertiser
What happened when a drink driver tried to 'trick' breathalyser
A driver who tried three times to dodge a breath test has been banned from driving.
Evening Standard
Man jailed for 25 years after raping and beating victim in Dagenham home
Oladip Oshodi, 48, was convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court on multiple charges
OK! Magazine
Uncle of missing Jay Slater breaks silence as fresh search launched
The uncle of missing Jay Slater has said the family are "clinging on" to the hope of finding the 19 year old in Tenerife as they likened it to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann
The Independent
Masked gunman shoots 12 and 13-year-old kids at NYC McDonald’s
Gunman fired a volley of six bullets at the two children before evading police and fleeing the scene
Evening Standard
Man in his 30s suffers 'potentially life changing' injuries in Soho phone robbery
The victim suffered head injuries in the brutal assault
Glasgow Times
Owner asks for bulldog to be killed after vicious attack on dog and man
The owner of an American bulldog asked for it to be killed following an attack on another pup and a man.
The Independent
Family’s tribute to father with ‘beautiful smile’ stabbed to death in east London
Josh McKay’s relatives said: ‘The heart of our family has stopped beating.’
News Shopper
Stabbing in Plumstead 'left blood stains at the scene for hours'
Police have issued a statement after a stabbing in Plumstead where blood was left at the scene "for hours after police left".
Business Insider
Trump's hush-money sentencing will still happen in September despite his new immunity superpowers, New York legal experts predict
Trump wants his hush-money verdict set aside. But a legal doctrine called "harmless error" is more powerful than his immunity, experts believe.
CNN
A San Antonio mother was arrested after leaving her three children in a hot car while shopping, police say
A mother who police said left her three children in a hot car in San Antonio, Texas for nearly an hour while shopping was arrested after a good Samaritan helped rescue them from the vehicle.
Associated Press
French court rules American man detained after ‘So I raped you’ Facebook message can be extradited
A French court ruled on Monday that the American man accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, “So I raped you,” can be extradited to the United States. Ian Cleary, 31, of Saratoga, California, was detained in April in the city of Metz in northeastern France after a three-year search. The Court of Appeal in Metz said that Cleary can be extradited.

Latest stories