Veteran 'overwhelmed' by help after arson attack

A disabled veteran whose fence and bins were destroyed in an arson attack says he has been "overwhelmed" by the response from the community.

Michael Howie, from Gloucester, said he was facing the expense of replacing his fence as well as a £50 charge from the council to replace his bins.

But after contacting his local councillor and posting an appeal on Facebook, the work has been carried out for free by a local builder and new bins delivered free-of-charge by the council.

Howie said: "I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who commented and the companies that were willing to help out."

In a statement, Gloucestershire Police said that "due to no available CCTV, witnesses nor suspects identified" the report on the arson incident has been closed.

They added: "If any new information comes to light, we ask that this be provided to police to review."

Howie, who was discharged from the military on medical grounds in 2013 after serving for more than 15 years, said he was "shocked" when he discovered his plastic recycling bins had been targeted and his fence destroyed.

"I woke up and looked outside my front window and I was like: 'Oh my bins are gone, my fence is gone'," he said.

"Me and my son cleaned up all the mess that was left behind and we reported it to the police and the highway services because the plastic of the bins had melted in with the tarmac."

Howie posted a request on Facebook asking if any local firms would be willing to help.

"Being a single father of three kids, having a new fence rebuilt, [the expense] would put a strain on Christmas for us," said Howie.

Daniel Hughes from Above and Beyond property care offered to carry out the work.

Howie said it had been a "big weight" off his shoulders.

Hughes said he saw Howie's appeal on a noticeboard in Gloucester and just "wanted to reach out and help".

"My grandad was in the army, the army means a lot to me," he said.

"Seeing this guy in need, a veteran, I just wanted to help him, however we could."

Along with stripping out his old fence, they also installed a new fence and painted it to match the rest of the panels.

"It was really heartwarming for me because, for somebody to go through all he's been through in his life, it was the least we could do."

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