FOUR cars were burnt out in a suspected arson attack on a car yard south of Witney, that closed the A415 for an hour yesterday.

One of the co-owners of Blenheim Car Sales said the fire, which destroyed four 4x4s, came as a fresh blow just weeks after his business partner was treated for a heart attack.

He said: “With any business this would be stressful. Like everyone else we’re just trying to make a living and this has come out of the blue.

“If anyone has seen anything, get in contact with the police.”

The fire broke out just before 3.30am and damaged another vehicle slightly.

Firefighters have alerted police and a fire service spokesman said: “Arson is not being ruled out.”

Crew manager Chris Hollis said: “We arrived at the scene to discover quite a severe fire with vehicles having been destroyed.”

The firefighters were forced to close the A415 for about an hour between 3.45am and 4.45am. A police spokesman said the alarm was raised by a passing driver who noticed bright glowing lights near the wheels of the vehicles.

Part of the front of the fence was damaged and police are reviewing the business’s CCTV to see if this is how arsonists got into the premises.

Anyone with information should call Pc Lee Dickinson on 101 or the confidential Crimestoppers line anonymously on 0800 555111.