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Boys, 16, sentenced after supermarket arson attack

Google Maps A front view of Iceland in Warminster under a blue sky, some of a car park to the right and pedestrians to the left. A large Iceland truck is in front.Google Maps
The incident happened outside the Iceland supermarket in Warminster

Two teenage boys have been found guilty of arson after a fire that "reached immense heights" in cages of supermarket goods.

The attack happened outside Iceland in Warminster, Wiltshire, on the evening of 2 June 2024, with police saying the fire "could easily have gone out of control".

The teenagers, both 16, were sentenced at Salisbury Youth Court - one given a 10-month referral order, the other a nine-month referral order.

"It is a miracle that the fire didn't spread further into the building" said PC Lauren Fairley, from Wiltshire Police.

"This was a serious offence that could have easily gone out of control. The fire reached immense heights and was left to completely engulf a six-foot cage."

Wiltshire Police Tall metal cages on wheels usually used to take products around a supermarket with charred remains of boxes and ash around them.Wiltshire Police
The flames "engulfed" the supermarket's six-foot cages

"If someone had not spotted the fire and called the fire service I believe this could have had a different ending," she added.

Police said Warminster Town Council's CCTV footage was "crucial" in court.

The referral orders included the boys agreeing to a contract which includes rehabilitation sessions.

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