Couple, 89, 'lucky to be alive' after caravan arson

An elderly couple are "lucky to be alive" after a caravan next door was deliberately set alight, their nephew says.

Ann and Peter Wollam, both 89, were left "shook up" after they were forced to flee their house on Bentley Road South in Darlaston when their nephew, Greg Yates, saw smoke and 20ft flames coming from the vehicle.

West Midlands Police confirmed the caravan was deliberately set on fire on 21 August. The blaze spread to the derelict building, causing extensive damage. The front of the Wollam's home was also affected.

"We had to get them out the back. By then flames were licking up the houses," said Yates, who added the blaze followed ignored warnings of vandalism to Walsall Council.

The two properties are among four built on a private strip of land owned by the Wollam family in the 1920s.

Three houses remain in the family, while the fourth was sold in 2019 and some construction work was carried out. But the property has stood empty ever since and has become a magnet for trespassers and danger, said Yates, who lives in one of the houses.

He said he and his sister first noticed smoke rising from the caravan, parked on the drive of the derelict house, at around 19:00 BST.

The 62-year-old said the fire soon grew to 20ft, with West Midlands Fire Service deploying three crews to the scene.

Yates said: "It was sheer chance we saw it. If we had not, my aunt and uncle would have perished. There is no doubt in my mind.

"My aunt is recovering from a hip replacement, and my uncle is severely deaf; they had no idea the fire was spreading.

"We had to get them out through the back. By then the flames were licking up the houses."

Yates said he had reached out to the council earlier this year to warn them of anti-social behaviour by trespassing teenagers.

The abandoned construction left the front of the house strewn with debris, broken glass and damaged masonry, and it quickly became a regular spot for fly-tippers.

Yates said: "We told [the council] it was an accident waiting to happen. Two weeks later, the caravan went up in flames. What more do we have to go through before someone listens."

He said the family want the council to put in an empty dwelling management order (EDMO). The legal order allows local councils to take over and manage private properties left vacant for at least two years.

Yates added: "We are lucky to have this land, but we have had no support at all. None. And now look what has happened. We feel completely alone."

West Midlands Police said the fire was being treated as arson and urged anyone with information to get in touch.

The BBC has contacted Walsall Council for comment.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.