ARSONISTS who have brought a car-breaking business to its knees could end up claiming a life, the owners say.

Brothers Ross and Marc Baldwin have offered a £500 reward to catch the people who started two fires in a week at J and J Auto Salvage on Sharples Street, Blackburn, causing £9,000 damage.

And they have warned that the next fire could kill one of the several people who regularly sleep rough in the yard.

The first fire, last Wednesday, destroyed 25 scrap vehicles and hundreds of tyres used as a security barricade at one end of the yard.

The second blaze, on Sunday, destroyed another 50 vehicles and left the brothers fearing for the future of their business.

Marc, who took over the yard with his brother last June, said: "We think it is the same group of youngsters who began smashing windows and causing damage in the yard last year.

"I hope somebody has heard them bragging about what they have done.

"We get a few tramps sleeping in the cars and vans here. I don't mind because they do me no harm. "But if these idiots carry on setting them on fire you never know when we are going to end up with a dead body on our hands."

Ross added: "To the man in the street, these cars are junk but they are full of serviceable parts and they are valuable to us.

"We have not done anything to upset anybody.

"We are just two brothers trying to make a living and it's just so frustrating."

Anyone with information about the attacks is asked to contact Blackburn police on 51212.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.