ARSON is suspected by police investigating a weekend blaze which left a trail of destruction at a Kidderminster auto firm.

Specialist equipment worth £72,000 was ruined after three vehicles were set on fire outside Summer-field Auto Services on the Worcester Road.

Police are also investigating a blaze at Gemini Pallets on a Stourport industrial estate early on Friday morning which saw two lorries and thousands of pounds worth of pallets go up in smoke.

The Worcester Road fires were started in three cars waiting to be scrapped and quickly spread to a workshop area, melting the costly diagnostic equipment. the aftermath of the fierce fire at Gemini Pallets in Stourport.

Four fire engines were called to the scene,at the Lupin Works to bring the blaze under control.

A police spokesman said the attack - on Sunday at about 3pm - was being treated as arson.

It was the second weekend car fire on the Worcester Road - a Seat Ibiza parked at the rear of the Magnet store on Hoobrook Industrial Estate was gutted in a blaze on Saturday evening.

The blaze at Gemini Palletts on the Mitton Mill Industrial Estate, in Stourport's Mill Road, took five fire crews more than seven hours to deal with after the alarm was raised at about 2am on Friday.

Sub officer Mick Rowlands, part of a Kidderminster crew which relieved Tenbury Wells and Worcester colleagues at 9am, said firefighters were hampered by a 1,000 volt overhead electricity cable running through the middle of the site and several liquid petroleum gas cylinders.

"There were lots of bangs and whizzes when the cable blew," said Mr Rowlands, who added the cylinders luckily did not explode.

"Crews were fighting defensively, sitting back as far as possible."

A manufacturing building was also damaged in the blaze.

Anyone with information on any of the fires should contact Kidderminster Police on 08457 444888 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.