In the early hours of Sunday morning a small town on the outskirts of Bolton was rocked by an hour of shocking violence. In the space of just 60 minutes several homes and cars were set ablaze in the Farnworth, Great Lever and Daubhill areas in a series of arson attacks.
In one of the homes a young family slept inside as a 'petrol bomb' was hurled at their front door. Detectives say the fires are 'linked' and are treating the incidents as targeted.
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As the Manchester Evening News reported it's understood from police sources that the attacks followed a dispute between gangs in the area. Speaking this week, Mohammed Ayub, a councillor in Great Lever, said the feud came about following a split in a gang based across Farnworth and Great Lever.
He said: "My understanding is it's a war between gangs. There's been a falling out within a gang and now it's tit-for-tat.
"They probably don't realise how dangerous these attacks are, but I know that two occupants of the houses that were targeted are severely disabled.
"If the fire had spread to the houses they would have stood no chance. [Gang-related crime] is something new that's crept up over the last year or so."
Farnworth might seem like an unusual place for this type of violence to occur. It's a small, working class town of 29,000 people, the birthplace of Great Britain's most decorated Olympian Jason Kenny and World Cup winner Alan Ball.
There are good schools in the area, it's home to a popular country park and historic country house.
But it's also not without its problems. There's a sense that Farnworth has been left behind in recent years.
Its much-loved market closed in 2016 after more than 100 years of trading. It's among the 10 per cent most deprived neighbourhoods in England.
And those born in the Moses Gate area of town are expected to live to just 75-years-old on average – meaning it has one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the country.
Local boxing coach George Klimek said poverty, addiction and family issues meant many young people in the area are at risk of falling into a life of crime. "It's a bad area that really needs help," he said.
"There are lots of families there with lots of problems - poverty, alcohol, drugs.
"And when that happens and the kids get neglected that's when they turn to crime and gangs. If you go at night time you will see gangs of kids running around.
"As a boxing coach I am close to this kind of stuff. I've helped many gang members turn their lives around."
And it's not the first time the town has been rocked by gang violence. In 2017 two members of a Farnworth gang were among six men jailed following a spate of tit-for-tat shootings between rival drug clans in Farnworth and nearby Little Hulton.
The first shooting came after one of the thugs ordered a hit on the man who started a relationship with his ex-girlfriend while he was in jail. An innocent bystander was instead shot.
Three more shootings - all on the same day - followed. Six men from three gangs were sent down for a total of 107 years and four months after being convicted of conspiring to possess a firearm.
But Farnworth is also on the verge of a huge transformation. Work on a long-awaited £50m plan to revive the town centre is finally underway.
By 2024, almost 100 new homes homes, café bars, shops and a 'lush' green public square are set to be built on the site of the old market precinct. It promises to be the new start the town has been waiting for.
Farnworth councillor Nadeem Ayub said while the community had been 'shocked' by the attacks he was 'reassured' by the police investigation.
"It's certainly not something that is common," he said. "There is crime in the area, but certainly nothing like this. It's no different to other parts of Bolton."
