Warrington garage owner puts record straight following attack (From This Is Cheshire)

Warrington garage owner puts record straight following attack

7:30am Thursday 18th March 2010 in

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THE owner of a car sales room ‘firebombed’ after it was wrongly connected to Kerry Katona and Mark Croft says he is angry about the link.

Peter Salem says he has been living in fear since the attack last weekend which police are investigating.

A car and caravan were torched on the lot of Parkview Car Sales on Padgate Lane the day after revelations in tabloid newspapers that Mr Croft, estranged husband of Kerry Katona, owned a stake in the firm.

But both police and a check with Companies House, which registers owers of businesses, confirmed Mr Salem’s explanation that Mr Croft is not connected to the business – other than having his cars serviced there.

Mr Salem said: “I just cannot understand where this has come from. He has no connection with us whatsoever.

“We were told if the fire service had arrived five minutes later, the whole place would have gone up.

“I have been here for seven years and this is killing the business.”

He believes the attack was intended for Mr Croft and that his firm was wrongly targeted.

A sign has been erected outside the salesroom this week which after Mr Salem says has been swamped by paparazzi. It confirms the business has no connection with either Mark Croft or Kerry Katona.

Police have confirmed they are investigating the fire which took place late on Sunday night.

Anyone with information or who may have witnessed anything around the time of the attack should call police on 0845 4580000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.