A blaze completely destroyed an abandoned car near Liddington Castle.

The driver of the Ford Fiesta rammed through a gate opposite the Ridgeway off the B4192. The vehicle was then set alight, putting the lives of cows in the farmer’s field in danger.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue were called at 11.45am on Saturday and quickly extinguished the flames.

PC Tom Ashforth said: “It is likely that the car had been involved in criminal activity prior to being used to ram through a locked farm gate into a field of cows, causing damage to the gate, and then being set alight next to the cow’s water trough, resulting in toxic chemicals ending up in their drinking water and debris being strewn across the field. This could have proved fatal to the cows. 

“These acts of mindless criminal damage, both to the car and to the farm gate, could have resulted in cows being seriously hurt or killed, the farmer suffering significant financial loss, and had the cows escaped it could have put road users in danger.”

Any witnesses are being asked to call 101.