Police have said an arson attack at a car dealership in Co Down may be linked to an ongoing feud between rival drug gangs in the Ards and North Down area.
More than 25 vehicles were damaged in the Landsdowne Industrial Estate in Newtownards in the early hours of Tuesday.
It comes amid a spate of incidents in the town and parts of North Down, which police believe is linked to feuding drug gangs expelled from the UDA.
These have included petrol bomb attacks, windows being smashed with hammers and bricks, and a pipe bomb attack.
Of the latest attack, a PSNI spokesman said: “At approximately 3.20am, we received a report that a number of vehicles had been set on fire at a car dealership.
"Officers along with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attended and the fire was extinguished.
"Approximately 25 cars and a trailer have been badly damaged in the blaze.
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"We are investigating this as an incident of arson.
"This was a completely reckless attack which could have had serious consequences. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported.
"At the present time we are keeping an open mind as to the motivation behind this attack, however, a primary line of enquiry is that it is linked to the ongoing feud between rival drugs gangs across Ards and North Down.
"I would appeal to anyone who may have seen anyone suspicious in the area at the time of the fire or to anyone with dash-cam or CCTV footage that could assist with enquiries, to contact detectives on 101."
It comes just days after shots were fired at a flat in Newtownards in an attack also believed to be linked to the ongoing feud.
Police said the first-floor property in the Shackleton Walk area was targeted on Sunday night.
Over recent weeks, there there has also been attempted hijackings and graffiti daubed on properties.
Earlier this month, hundreds of residents paraded in the Co Down town to call for an end to the violence.
