The hunt is on to find an arsonist who fire-bombed a Northwich primary school in the early hours of yesterday morning (October 29).
Police say an unknown person forced entry into the grounds of Wincham Community Primary School after cutting a number of padlocks.
Once inside the grounds, the suspect smashed two windows at the front of the school before throwing a petrol bomb into the building shortly after 1am.
The suspect then fled the scene, exiting onto Church Street, through the grounds of Wincham Community centre.
While the petrol bomb exploded, the fire did not spread and was quickly extinguished by police officers who were called to the scene after an alarm activated. The suspect was described as wearing dark clothing with a hood up and carrying a rucksack.
Officers from Northwich CID are appealing for information from the public.
Detective Constable Claire Heatley said: “Incidents such as this are extremely rare in the Wincham area and we are committed to doing all that we can to trace the person responsible.
“Thankfully on this occasion the offender was unsuccessful and the fire did not cause any significant damage, however I have no doubt that the consequences could have been far worse. Enquiries in relation to the incident are currently ongoing and we are following a number of lines of enquiry.
“As part of the investigation I’m keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and believes that they may have witnessed anything unusual. I would also like to hear from anyone who believes that they may have seen any suspicious vehicles in the area at the time of the incident, or in the hours leading up to it. ”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 101 of 29/10/2017. Details can also be passed anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.
