Overview

• Cleveland Police were alerted at around 2:40 am on June 8 after reports of a red Vauxhall Combo ablaze outside the Happy Shopper store
• Fire crews brought the blaze under control as flames spread to the shopfront, leaving the van blackened and debris scattered on the pavement
• Residents above the store were evacuated for safety while officers secured the area with a police cordon
• Preliminary inquiries suggest the van became lodged on a bollard during a failed ram-raid before being deliberately torched
• Investigators have opened a formal arson probe and are asking anyone with information to call Cleveland Police on 101, quoting reference 103636