EXTRA police patrols are being sent in to the Fisherrow area of Musselburgh following a string of deliberate fires that have left residents in fear for their lives.

People living in streets close to the harbour and the promenade say the area has been targeted by fire-raisers for weeks.

Matters reached crisis point on Sunday evening when police and fire services were called out to deal with 10 separate fires in the space of five hours, including a blaze at an empty flat in Beach Lane, two boats in the harbour and six cars and a van in Cairds Row and The Promenade area.

And on Wednesday evening a van was set alight and two more cars fire-damaged in another attack. No arrests have been made in connection with the incidents.

Many residents are afraid to speak openly about the attacks for fear of becoming a target.

One woman told the Courier: "I'm moving in with friends because I can't sleep at night. I'm terrified I'll be trapped and killed by one of these fires."

Another said she was taping her letterbox closed each night because of a fear she would be the next target.

Some residents are calling for a public meeting to discuss what is being done by police and East Lothian Council to make the area safer and protect residents and their properties.

In an open letter to Police Scotland, local councillors and Colin Beattie MSP, one Beach Lane resident local business owner Josef, who asked for his surname to be withheld said there had been 12 suspicious fires in his street in the weeks prior to Sunday evening's attacks.

He said: "I am not an expert but can say with some certainty that there is clearly an issue with fire-raising here – simply put, the number of suspicious fires per day is far beyond what is normal or acceptable.

"These attacks put residents' lives in danger, particularly the elderly and vulnerable. In the case of the flat fire on Beach Lane on Sunday night, if fire rescue services were any later in responding there would have been injuries or possibly fatalities, given that the flat on fire was surrounded by units with elderly residents."

Josef called for action to be taken to stop the continued incidents.

In his letter to authorities he said: "I have not seen any statements or any real concern expressed by either Police Scotland or the council to the residents to whom you are accountable. Most alarmingly, I have not seen any tangible action plan in place, questioning of witnesses/residents, CCTV monitoring, additional patrol units, improvement of lighting, etc, all of which should be first steps you take to address the danger we are facing.

"The fact these attacks continue to take place, so frequently, and without cause only means that not enough is being done."

Chief Inspector Matt Paden, local area commander for East Lothian, told the Courier that action was being taken to tackle concerns raised by residents in the Fisherrow community.

He said: "I would like to reassure members of the public that additional officers are being supplied for Musselburgh, therefore extra patrols will be taking place.

"We have been working with local partners to ensure relevant safety measures are put in place and we have a team of CID officers investigating."