A MELKSHAM couple whose caravan home was torched in an arson attack say their dreams have been destroyed.

Mike and Sheila Henley, who run Eddies Diner at Bowerhill, have nowhere to live after their static caravan was burned to a crisp in the blaze on February 14.

Mike, 66, said: “The caravan was only parked in our building plot in Murray Walk for a few hours.

“It was delivered at 12.30pm and we locked it up and left it around 4.30pm. By 8pm it was going up in flames.

“We had planned to live in the caravan for about two years while we built a new house on the land.”

Now the couple, who are staying with friends, say they will have to decide what to do next and if they go ahead with their plans to build a three-bedroomed detached house.

Sheila, 58, said: “It is just awful to come up here to see it like this. It’s just as well that no-one was hurt.”

The couple have been together for ten years since Sheila’s first husband died. They married about a year ago.

They bought the building plot last October after selling their home in Cornwall Crescent, Melksham.

Mike said: “Because of our age, we were unable to get a mortgage to buy another house, so we sold up and decided to build one ourselves.

“Now, we don’t know what we are going to do or where we are going to live. Our dreams of building somewhere we can retire to have been destroyed.

“We can’t just walk away because we can’t afford to. I just don’t know why someone would wish to do this.

“We don’t have any enemies, so it must be someone who doesn’t want us to build a house on the land.”

Police are still searching for the person who torched their 35-feet long caravan only hours after it arrived in Melksham.

The caravan was subjected to an arson attack after arriving by lorry transporter from Weston super Mare.

Mike said: “Someone levered open the caravan door and then poured petrol on the furniture and set light to it.

“I had left some steps inside the caravan and they used those to get in. Whoever did this even threw a hosepipe over the fence so it could not be used.”

Anyone with any information should contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.