Larne arson attack kills pigeons and damages three houses

The mother of two girls – the youngest only nine months old – said this was the fourth time they had been attacked in a year.

A pigeon shed containing 30 birds was set ablaze early on Friday morning and the fire spread to two other houses in the Loranville area.

One man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and several pigeons were killed.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, told the BBC she alerted neighbours who called the emergency services.

“I was wandering about the street with a nine-month-old, not knowing what to do,” she said.

In September last year, around 100 pigeons belonging to the family were burned to death in an arson attack on two lofts on the Brustin Brae Road.