A retired policeman and his wife have spoken of their shock after criminals firebombed their Govilon farm on the weekend, with a blast so powerful it destroyed a mini digger. ?

The couple said they were relaxing and watching television on Saturday evening when their home shook amid two ‘massive’ explosions at the home they’ve shared for twelve years. ??

Mr John James, who retired after a dedicated career with Gwent Police after said his home ‘shook violently’ as one explosion rocked the ground, followed by another a few seconds after.

“We went outside to see what was going on. I thought a tanker had exploded,” said Mr James.

“There was one heck of an explosion. I looked at my wife and said,’ what on earth was that?’

“She went outside first and came back into the house saying she could smell petrol. At first I thought one of the store tankers had exploded. ?

“I went outside and the digger and log store were both well alight by then.”??

Shocked, and trying to work out what was going on, Mr James said the culprits were out of sight by the time he and his wife, a retired deputy head-teacher, had rushed outside. ?

One of the crudely fashioned explosives landed directly on a £7,000 mini digger— completely destroying it— as another set ablaze a large log store nearby. ?

?“This was only a matter of a few feet from our home,” Mr James said.

Luckily petrol bombs missed an oil store just 20ft away.

“That would have been a catastrophe,”he said—“there’s 2,000 litres of kerosene in there.

“The consequences could have been immense,” said Mr James.

After discovering the explosion, Mr James rushed to the phone and dialled 999, as the flames raged just metres from his Llanwenarth Barn farmhouse. ?

Crews from South Wales Fire and Rescue clamoured to the scene, working in teams to tamp the fires out, as Mr James and his wife looked on during the blaze on Saturday night after light had fallen around 9.45pm.

After working tirelessly to douse the flames, the diesel tank in the digger exploded 20 feet into the air, the blast knocking two firefighters on their backs. ?

Mr James, who is chairman of Llanfoist Fawr community council, said he was disappointed with the ‘lack of action’ taken immediately after the firebombing to get this incident out into the public.

“This incident needs the publicity it deserves in order to bring the person or persons responsible, to justice,” said Mr James, before announcing a reward of £1,000 was available for information leading to catching and convicting those responsible. ??

Mr James said he had ‘no clue’ who could be responsible.

Although he spent years working with Gwent Police, and serves on the community council, he said he ‘has never had an issue with anyone’. ??He added that a private firm had visited the farm on Monday to install security measures including CCTV. ?

You do wonder whether there could be a repeat,” he said. “Who is to say they won’t do something like this again???It’s knocked me, and my wife, senseless. It really has.” ??Police have urged anyone with information regarding this serious matter to get in touch with them on 101.