Peter Lawwell: Appeal launched to trace two vehicles in the area of the Celtic chief's home around time of fire

Police are appealing for information about two vehicles believed to have been in the area of Peter Lawwell's home around the time of a fire at the property.

Firefighters were called to the blaze on Peel Road in Thorntonhall, South Lanarkshire, at around 1am last Wednesday which forced the Celtic FC chief executive and his family to flee their home.

Mr Lawwell has said his family were "deeply affected" by the incident but have drawn comfort from "literally thousands of messages of support" from Celtic fans and the football community.

Initial inquiries identified a man captured on CCTV pouring accelerant on cars in the garage during the incident.

Peter Lawwell: Appeal launched to trace two vehicles in the area of the Celtic chief's home around time of fire

A week on from the blaze, police are searching for two vehicles seen in the area at the time of the incident.

They are a white Fiat 500 and a light-coloured or silver hatchback, which is possibly a Mercedes A Class or similar model.

Officers say both vehicles were seen acting suspiciously before they were driven off south, along South Road, in the direction of the Queensway in East Kilbride.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has thanked fans for their support after he and his family were targeted in a “devastating attack”.

Detective Inspector Susie Cairns said: "Over the past week we have continued with our detailed inquiries into what happened in our efforts to trace the person, or persons, responsible.

"We know that one man poured an accelerant on the vehicles. What we want to trace now are these vehicles, seen around the Thorntonhall area during the early hours of Wednesday May 19.

"I would ask again for anyone who may have been on the surrounding roads, or the Queensway, and recording with dashcam, to provide any relevant footage to officers as soon as possible.

"Also for anyone with private CCTV footage in these areas to check their system to see if either vehicle is captured.

"We're keen to find these cars and their occupants to understand why they were in the area at this time."

The male suspect seen on CCTV is described as around 5ft 10in, of slim build and was wearing black joggers, a black hooded jumper with the hood up, black trainers and a face mask.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 0134 of May 19, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Reporting by PA

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