‘Like a bomb had gone off’: suspected arson attack fuels Glastonbury unease

J an Johnston was tucked up in the van she calls home when she was rocked by the explosion. “I heard this massive boom,” she said. “I came out and there was thick, black, billowing smoke. It was like a bomb had gone off.” It turned out not to be a bomb, but a suspected arson attack on one of the many caravans, motorhomes and converted vehicles tucked away in side roads and industrial estates around the town of Glastonbury in Somerset. The fire spread and three caravans a few metres from Johnston’s vehicle suffered damaged. The charred remains of clothes, books and tin cans can still be seen among the wreckage. For decades, people like Johnston, 71, have parked up in Glastonbury, famed for its alternative, spiritual, peaceful ways, and lived – for the most part – harmoniously, with “bricks and mortar” townsfolk. Jan Johnston: ‘I’m a bit of a pilgrim and it’s always been a mellow kind of place but I’m not staying any more.’ Photograph: Jim Wileman/The Guardian But the mood has changed, apparently because of a combination of a sharp increase in the numbers living at the roadside and a general decline in people’s willingness to rub along together. The motive for the attack is not known but it has made people uneasy. “I’ve been coming here for 47 years,” said Johnston, a teacher. “I’m a bit of a pilgrim and it’s always been a mellow kind of place but I’m not staying any more. I’m packing up. …