CAR dealers were targeted overnight in a spate of arson attacks.

Cars at the Penton and Edwards Ford dealerships in Churchfields Industrial Estate were both hit as was Westover in Old Sarum.

In Durrington, cars at the Hallmark Motor Company were set alight as well as a hire van in Amesbury.

Mark Timbrell, manager of the Penton garage, said: "Our CCTV shows that someone pulled up about 2.15am and put something under the wheel arch of the Range Rover causing a small explosion or fire. It went up very quickly.

"In the other car, a Mokka, it looks like they put something below the windscreen because the price of damage is in the engine.

"We were called out in the middle of the night and we are just trying to clear up the damage now.

"The cars hit were the closest ones to the road. They will almost definitely have to be written off."

The CCTV footage has been given to the police.

The Range Rover was worth £37k, the most expensive car on the forecourt and the Vauxhall Mokka was worth £18k.

At the Edwards Ford dealership around the corner, three transit vans were hit causing between £30k and £40k worth of damage.

A spokesman for the garage said: "The person put something under the wheel arch of one which then caused the two next to it to go up at the same time. 

"One vehicle is a write-off, the other two are borderline."

At Westover in Old Sarum, two Range Rover Sports were damaged, worth a total of £100k.

In Durrington, around £30k worth of damage was caused at the Hallmark Motor Company. Two Land Rover Freelanders and a Toyota Aygo were burnt out while a Golf was also caught up in the fire.

Owner Martin Terry said: "Flames from the cars were about ten yards from the breather pipes for the Esso petrol station next door. Had they caught fire, the whole lot would have blown up. It doesn't bear thinking about."

This video was taken by Karl Conradie, who said: "Woke up early hours this morning to witness fire brigade at work, cars burning across the road...Scary stuff!"

In Amesbury, a hire van was set fire to next door to J P Todd Glass and Glazing.

John Todd said: "We are extremely fortunate here at Stockport Park that the ten industrial units were not set alight by the van which was 20ft away.

"We want to thank the emergency services for their work - had the van been parked next to a unit, we may well have lost the units which, with all the stock, would have been about £2m worth.

"The van was a brand new one with a 2016 reg and was only delivered yesterday."

Police said a 26-year-old local man has been arrested on suspicion of arson and that he is currently in custody at Melksham Police Station.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.