Heartbreak as arson attack forces widow from home

A family today revealed the devastation caused after an arson attack which has left a disabled woman forced out of her Willenhall home.

Pensioner Ann Parkes has had to move in with her daughter after the blaze which was started deliberately outside her front door in the early hours of Sunday.

A sofa resting next to a wall at the front of the house was pushed against the plastic front door of 69-year-old Mrs Parkes' home in Hill Road, Portobello, before being set alight.

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Mrs Parkes, who has heart problems, diabetes and a lung condition, was sleeping upstairs when the fire started. Her son Jason, aged 37, was also asleep.

They were alerted to the fire by another son Joseph, aged 42, who smelt the smoke at around 2.55am.

Flames destroyed the front door of the house and left heavy smoke damage inside.

Mrs Parkes' daughter Kelly, aged 31, said: "If my brother hadn't been there we would never have seen mum again. Three people could have died in the fire.

"Mum has lived in the house for 30 years and she has some lovely memories there but now she doesn't want to go back.

"She lost my dad in 2008 and she hasn't been the same since, this is the last thing she needed."

The family has also criticised West Midlands Police for not going out to speak to the family until yesterday afternoon.

Chief Inspector Richard Vickers, from Wolverhampton Police, today apologised for what he said was a "communication breakdown".

He said: "We are sorry that the service we provided fell short of that which we aim to deliver and which the communities of Wolverhampton expect from us."

He said police are normally alerted if a crime is suspected at a fire scene but on this occasion officers were not requested to attend.

He added: "An officer was despatched immediately after this was brought to our attention. The family have now been spoken to and an investigation is under way."