THE driver of a DVLA vehicle in Bushmills has narrowly escaped injury after being forced out of the vehicle by masked men who set it alight.
In what police have called a “brazen and violent attack,” it was reported just before 11am on Tuesday that two men wearing balaclavas approached the vehicle on Main Street while the driver was doing their job.
Attacking the vehicle with weapons and smashing the windows, the driver was ordered out before accelerant was thrown into the vehicle and set alight with the driver “narrowly escaping harm.”
The two men, one dressed in dark clothes and the other in a grey tracksuit, then left by foot towards Dundarave Park.
❗️ CAR FIRE 🔥 #Bushmills. Police and Nifrs attended a car on Fire in this area. It is believed to a government vehicle - DVLA Car (Tax Checker) pic.twitter.com/qK75q9HTqa
— NI Emergency Response Vids (@NiResponsevids) August 6, 2024
The Causeway Road was closed for around an hour while a firefighters from Coleraine Fire Station used a hose reel to extinguish the flames by 12.14pm.
Detective Inspector Gareth Lavery said: “This was a brazen and violent attack on this vehicle which is government property.
“This was in broad daylight in a busy Bushmills at the height of the tourism season. This arson attack, which has destroyed this public vehicle, also put a number of nearby businesses and members of the public at risk should the fire have spread.”
He added: “The driver, who was not injured, would understandably be in shock following this ordeal. Our investigation is underway and we need the public’s assistance. The area of Main Street would have been busy at this time and we’d ask anyone who witnessed anything or has information on the two men, CCTV or dash-cam footage to contact us on 101 quoting 481 for August 6.”
Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
