A reward of £1,000 is being offered for information as police crack down on those behind a series of arson attacks.
Extra patrols – including uniform and plain-clothed officers – have also been put in place in Retford and Worksop as officers step up attempts to catch those responsible.
Detectives are also using CCTV and intelligence to build up evidence and help put a stop to the incidents.
A number of arrests have already been made in connection with the incidents but enquiries are continuing.
It comes as six cars were set alight in a car park off Main Street in Bothamsall near Retford at around 1.15am today.
Images released by police show the extent of the damage.
Officers are now working with Crimestoppers who are offering £1,000 for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
Detectives are linking this latest incident to three other arson attacks in the area recently which began with two police cars being set on fire at Worksop Police Station, Potter Street, in the early hours of Monday 21 June.
An 18-year-old man was arrested shortly afterwards and released on bail pending further enquiries.
Following this six vehicles were set on fire in the Kilton area of Worksop in the early hours of 26 June. Two of them were parked at the side of Wingfield Avenue and four others were parked in residential parking spaces in Southdene.
Two cars, a Porsche and an Audi, were then set on fire in Talbot Road, Worksop, in the early hours of 4 July. A 29-year-old man and two boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested in connection to this along with the Kilton incidents and also released on conditional bail while enquiries have been ongoing.
Neigbourhood Inspector Neil Bellamy, said: “Detectives are linking these incidents and we are making good progress in the investigation.
“We believe at least two people are behind these attacks and have reason to believe they travelled to the scenes on motorbikes.
“Arson is an incredibly serious offence and we are absolutely determined to catch those responsible. Thankfully no one has been injured in the incidents but deliberately starting a fire is incredibly reckless and dangerous. Several people and their families have been affected having had their vehicles destroyed.
“We are stepping up patrols in the area and are responding with a full-force approach.
“We will be working with intelligence teams and carrying out plain-clothed operations in a bid to catch the offenders out unawares while detectives continue their progress with the investigation.
“This work is further bolstered by offering a £1,000 reward through Crimestoppers which we are hoping will provide the final pieces of information needed to bring this spate to a close.
“If anyone has seen suspicious activity in the Retford and Worksop area in the last few weeks, please get in touch. If you have CCTV, dash-cam or mobile phone footage we would also like to hear from you. Anyone who has noticed someone they know acting suspiciously should also get in touch.”
Chris Navin, station manager at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are working very closely with our police colleagues on the investigations following the incidents overnight.
“Not only can deliberate fire settings cause serious damage to personal property and the environment, but it takes our resources away from other emergencies that we may need to respond to.
“People within our local communities have been seriously effected by these incidents, both financially and emotionally.
“When fires are set, they can very quickly get out of control and can endanger people’s lives.
“At Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, we have a partnership with FireStoppers, where people can report information about deliberate fire settings anonymously to help the police find who is responsible. If you know or see anything, you can ring 0800 169 5558 or visit www.firestoppersreport.co.uk.”
Lydia Patsalides from the charity Crimestoppers said: “Deliberate fire-setting is reckless. Besides the large financial cost, considerable inconvenience and tying up of fire crews, it could only be a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.
“I’d appeal to anyone who has information on these attacks to contact Crimestoppers anonymously, safe in the knowledge nobody will know you contacted us. Please, do the right thing by your community and tell us what you know, not who you are.”
“Crime information can be passed anonymously to our charity at any time by calling our freephone number 0800 555 111 or by completing a safe and secure anonymous online from at Crimestoppers-uk.org. Young people can also give information via Fearless.org 100% anonymously without fear of any repercussions. Our charity has always kept its promise of anonymity to everyone who contacts us.”
If people have any information that could help, please call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 quoting incident 227 of 13 July.
Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. People will qualify for a £1,000 reward if they supply any information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
Please note: With Fearless.org and Crimestoppers-uk.org, computer IP addresses are never traced and no-one will ever know you contacted them. For telephone calls to Crimestoppers via freephone 0800 555 111, they have no caller line display, no 1471 facility and they have never traced a call.
