Police have charged six people with deliberately starting a fire with intent to endanger life, after caravans were set alight and a horse died at the West Meadows travellers’ site, in Ipswich, on Sunday night.

William Harbour, 31, of Woodland Way, Ipswich; Ernest Oakley, 22, of West Meadows, Ipswich; Swayley Smith, 23, of Ings Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire; Levi Harbour, 19, of Meadow Lane, Runwell, Essex, and Henry Harbour, 20, of Meadow Lane, Runwell, have all been charged with arson with intent to endanger life and criminal damage. A 14-year-old boy from Essex has also been charged with the same offences.

All six have been remanded to appear at South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court, Ipswich, tomorrow.

At about 10.10pm on Sunday, a number of properties were damaged, and two caravans set alight at the site. A horse, injured during the incident, was treated by a vet but died at the scene.

Last Thursday, two men died in a double-stabbing at West Meadows. They were 32-year-old Barry Street and 18-year-old Nathan Oakley – both from Ipswich.

A teenage boy, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions, was charged with murder and remanded in youth custody until his next court appearance on January 9.