Detectives have appealed for information after the car of a councillor was deliberately set alight.
Police were called to a report of a car on fire outside the property of South Lanarkshire councillor Graeme Campbell and his wife Fiona in Fortrose Gardens, Strathaven.
Emergency services attended shortly after 1.25am on Monday and the fire was extinguished however, it had caused extensive damage to a BMW X2 car, and some damage to a BMW X6 and the house itself. No-one was injured.
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It's understood the couple were alerted to the blaze by a teenager passing by who spotted the fire was dangerously close to spreading to the house.
Detective Inspector Alan MacDonald of Cambuslang Police Office said: “Luckily a passer-by noticed the car on fire and it was extinguished before it caused even more damage or harm.
“Extensive police enquiries are being carried out into this incident to trace whoever is responsible for setting this fire. A large amount of CCTV footage has been gathered and officers are studying this footage to gather more information on people seen in the area around the time of the fire, or vehicles seen in the local area.
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“I would ask anyone who seen someone acting suspiciously in or around Fortrose Gardens to contact us as soon as possible. I would also urge people who were driving in the roads in and around the town of Strathaven between 12.30am and 1.30am early on Monday morning to contact us.
"We would particularly like to hear from drivers with dash-cam footage who were driving on the roads leading to Glassford, Chapelton, Stonehouse, Hamilton and Sandford, as your camera may have captured footage which could be vital to this enquiry.”
Uniform and plain-clothes patrols have been stepped up in the area, however, police say there is nothing to suggest there is a wider threat to the community.
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon condemned the attack in Holyrood earlier today.
Anyone with concerns or information is asked to get in touch via 101 or alternatively anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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