A normally sedate Suffolk village has been gripped by fears a serial firebug is on the loose after a string of arson attacks.
Residents in Bures, on the Suffolk-Essex border in the heart of Constable country, believe the same culprit may be behind at least five deliberate blazes in recent months.
An air of suspicion now hangs over the picturesque community, famed for its 16th-century cottages and listed buildings, as locals speculate about the identity of the arsonist in their midst.
The spate began on September 9 last year when Bures Cricket Club's 180-year-old thatched pavilion was destroyed along with a dog waste bin on the recreation ground.
Over the following four weeks, further fires were deliberately started in a compost heap in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, a garden fence and a roadside egg stall.
Hopes the attacks had ended were dashed early last Friday when a historic barn overlooking the village was set ablaze and completely destroyed.
Some residents believe the culprit may hold a grudge against the village, set in the countryside immortalised by painter John Constable, while others suspect someone is simply 'getting a kick' out of lighting fires.
Many have noted that most of the blazes have occurred on Tuesday or Saturday nights, prompting speculation it may not be a coincidence.
A Whodunnit mystery is gripping a normally sedate village in the heart of Constable country after a series of arson attacks in recent months.
Villagers fear the same fire raiser is responsible for at least five blazes in Bures which was once terrorised by a fire-breathing dragon according to local legend.
Others claim they know who is responsible in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but admit they cannot prove it.
One villager, who asked not to be named, described the attacks as 'spooky'.
'Everybody knows who it is,' they said. 'They are not around very often, but when they are, these things happen.'
A 65-year-old resident who has lived in Bures for 55 years said:
'A lot of people are very concerned, especially those with empty properties.'This is normally a crime-free, friendly village. We are very community minded and almost everyone knows each other.
'There has been no end of gossip and rumours. Some people think they know who it is, but they cannot prove it. It could be someone local or even someone living off the land who comes and goes from the area.'
The spate began when Bures Cricket Club's 180-year-old thatched pavilion and a dog poo bin on the recreation ground were destroyed on the night of September 9 last year.
Over the next four weeks, there were more fires started deliberately in a compost heap in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, a garden fence and a stall selling eggs.
The attacks have even revived folklore of the Bures Dragon in the village of 1,500, made up of the neighbouring parishes of Bures St Mary and Bures Hamlet.
First recorded by a local monk in 1405, the beast was said to be a huge fire-breather with a crested head, serrated teeth and a long tail that terrorised residents, killing a shepherd and his flock.
Members of Bures Cricket Club were devastated when their pavilion went up in flames on Tuesday, September 9 last year. A dozen fire crews battled the blaze as the thatched roof collapsed.
Club captain Carl Wright said: 'The cricket pavilion was not just a building. It was years of history and memories destroyed in one night.'
The club has since launched a £100,000 appeal to rebuild the pavilion, where generations of families have played.
Three weeks later, on Tuesday September 30, dog walkers spotted smoke rising from a compost heap in St Mary's churchyard in tinder-dry conditions.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but there were fears it could have spread to a wood-panelled house just yards away.
Four days later on Saturday October 4, a wooden fence panel of a house near the 14th century church was also set on fire.
On Tuesday October 7, an egg stall with an honesty box at the junction of Cuckoo Hill and Windwhistle Ridge was also torched. Villagers said the stand, run by Overhall Cottage Farm, had previously been targeted.
The latest blaze destroyed a barn owned by Geoffrey Probert, a former executive vice president at Unilever International.
Locals said they woke at around 6am to see tall flames ripping through the wood store beside a farm track.
Emma Cumberland said: 'I stepped outside around 5.50am and saw an orange glow from the fields behind. You could hear the crackling and smell the smoke.'
Part-time physiotherapist Sarah Bruin, 64, added: 'I woke up and could smell smoke. At first I thought it was a chimney fire. Then I saw the glow and realised the barn had gone up.'
Youth worker Columb Cass pictures beside the burned out cricket pavilion in Bures
A general view of Bures, Suffolk, where an arsonist has struck multiple times
Part-time physiotherapist Sarah Bruin, 64, added: 'I woke up and could smell smoke. At first I thought it was a chimney fire. Then I saw the glow and realised the barn had gone up.
'It was a lovely old building and a landmark in Bures. I think all these fires are the work of one person who clearly needs help. Every time it happens, people just raise their eyebrows. It is the last thing you expect here.'
Youth worker Columb Cass, 32, said: 'There is definitely an arsonist around. It is very worrying. I thought things had died down after September, but now it has started again.'
His partner, who asked not to be named, said the pattern of attacks was troubling and questioned whether something had prevented the culprit from striking between October and now.
Chris Crace, chairman of Bures Cricket Club, said of the most recent fire:‘It is certainly not good for the village.’
They said:‘The whole thing is very concerning. What I find quite obscure is the fact that there were a lot of attacks close together, and then everything stopped for several months until this new one.
‘With all the previous attacks being on a Tuesday or a Saturday, I heard that police had plain clothes patrols here on Tuesday nights.
‘I don’t think it is someone young. It is someone who is old enough to be out on their own. Could there have been something happening that prevented them starting fires between October and now?
‘It is difficult to think that they might have found the self restraint to stop doing it, and then just start again. The police should make their investigations public because the village deserves to know what has been going on.
‘Luckily nobody has been hurt in the fires so far, but who knows what could happen?’
A Suffolk Police spokesperson confirmed officers are investigating multiple reports of arson in Bures.
They added: 'Officers have conducted reassurance patrols and continue to liaise with the local community, including the parish council. We are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact police.'
Anyone with information is asked to contact Suffolk Police quoting crime reference 37/8741/26.