A FAMILY has spent an emotional weekend removing the charred bodies of their dead animals from a smallholding.

Arsonists targeted a barn in Whinside, on the Good Street Estate, near Stanley, in the early hours of Saturday.

Several pigs were able to escape through the barn window, but most were so badly burned they had to be put down.

Just one pig, Titty, survived the blaze, which claimed the lives of 20 pigs, three geese, eight rabbits, a four-year-old driving horse called Bobby and much-loved 28-year-old Shetland pony named Sweep.

Some of the pigs are thought to be loose in the surrounding countryside, still suffering from horrific burns, as not all have been accounted for.

Wayne Slowther and his family, who worked seven days a week looking after the animals, were left devastated by the fire.

Mr Slowther, a 50-year-old bricklayer from nearby Catchgate, said: "I am gutted. The scale of what has happened has not sunk in yet. I cannot quite believe it. It is very upsetting."

The land has been in Mr Slowther's family for more than 40 years and was managed by his grandfather and then his father. The site has suffered from acts of vandalism and fires in recent years.

Police confirmed this week that they were treating the inquiry as arson.

Mr Slowther, who runs the smallholding as a hobby and values it at £20,000, is convinced the fire was started deliberately. He said: "There is no doubt in my mind that we have been targeted.

"I do not know how anyone can do this. How can they live with themselves, knowing what they have done to innocent animals?

It is disgusting."

Keith Wanley, district manager for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said tackling the fire was distressing, even for trained firefighters.

Fire investigators are working with police to determine the cause of the fire.

Detective Sergeant Paul D'Eath said if someone was convicted of arson it carries the potential of life imprisonment.

"It is quite deplorable that people may have caused animal suffering in this way," he said.

The fire has also had a profound impact on people who live near the site.

One man said: "Not everyone likes having pigs living so close but no one would have wished this on them.

"It is very upsetting that this has happened nearby."

Police ask anyone with information about the fire to call them on 08456-60-60-365 or via Crimestoppers, 0800-555111.

5:17pm Friday 9th May 2008

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