Mrs Painter’s horse, Byuk, an Arabian gelding, survived, but Mr Painter said: “It is a very friendly operation – a sort of do-it-yourself livery stables.”Owners buy their own feed and straw and the horses are looked after and bedded down in the barns. Detective Inspector Gerald Smith said: “You can imagine the grief and misery that has been caused by this appalling tragedy to each and every owner. He said the animals did not have a chance: “It is an horrific and disgusting thing to do. It appears to have been a deliberate attack, but I have no idea who could do such a thing or why.”The fire was discovered early yesterday and Kent Police confirmed that a burnt-out car was found. It’s sickening.”Mr Fraser’s brother, Tony, said a car had been driven through a fence and then into a barn where it was set on fire. You can’t help thinking of all those poor animals in the building. At least 12 other horses were saved, but four had to be treated by a vet for burns.
The cost of damage caused by the fire is estimated at pounds 100,000.The farm has been run by Brian and Nan Fraser for just over five years, but it has been in Mr Fraser’s family for more than 50 years.His mother Nora, who lives nearby, said: “I can’t believe anyone could do something as terrible as this The fire totally destroyed the farm buildings.

A burnt-out car was found in the debris of the livery stables at the farm in Shadoxhurst, near Ashford, Kent. The owners of a farm where 18 horses died in an early morning blaze yesterday were “sickened” last night after discovering that the tragedy was probably the result of an arson attack. “Using that type of ball results in no income for Fifa but they are free to use it.”Mr Kelly said he thought the raid was “a wind-up” He added: “My response is to co-operate. I don’t know what it is we are supposed to have done, but it’s not a major issue.”. “We choose the balls for the World Cup, but in all other competitions we tell our federation members that they may use either Fifa inspected or approved balls, or a third category which carries no Fifa logo and is not licensed but simply complies with the rules of football,” the source said. Its offices in Lancaster Gate, were raided by officials acting on behalf of the European Competition Commissioner, Karel Van Miert.A spokesman for Mr Van Miert said a complaint had been received a year ago from the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry which alleged that Fifa – and its affiliates, including the English FA – were violating the free and fair competition articles of the European Treaty.According to the Commission, Fifa charges manufacturers 1 Swiss Franc (about 55p) to label its footballs “Fifa Inspected” and 2 Swiss Francs to label them “Fifa Approved”, but it says other royalties and administrative costs of the scheme push prices much higher.Fifa insists that all World Cup matches and qualifiers are played with such balls but it argues that, given that it owns the competition, that is its prerogative.It made no comment yesterday, but one Fifa source said it would launch a fierce defence of its position. Sports manufacturers welcomed the raid, arguing that the Fifa licensing costs amounted to about pounds 4.35 on the price of a football, but the English FA said that it received none of the money.

STEVE BOGGAN

The Football Association denied last night that it was involved in a multi million-pound football licensing cartel following a raid on its offices by European Commission investigators.
Graham Kelly, the FA’s chief executive, said he had been “bewildered” when two officials from Brussels, accompanied by staff from the Office of Fair Trading, burst into FA headquarters in west London at 9.15am demanding access to its files.At the same time, the Football Associations of France and Denmark were raided as part of an investigation into the practice adopted by Fifa, the world governing body, of insisting that only balls that it has licensed are used in top matches. Men and equipment from the Royal Marines Landing Craft Wing at Poole, Dorset, have been drafted in to transport equipment to beaches and coves inaccessible by road.Species death tollManx Shearwater 1Fulmar 1Great northern diver 2Black-throated 1Red-throated diver 10Great crested grebe 2Gannet 2Shag 2Cormorant 34Shelduck 1Scoter 1,334Oystercatcher 8Turnstone 2Black headed gull 2Common gull 1Herring gull 2Kittiwake 2Guillemot 720Razorbill 178Unidentified(covered in oil) 143Total at 4 March 2,448Source: David Wheeler, Countryside Council for Wales.. Updated figures yesterday showed that more than 72,000 tonnes of oil from an original cargo of 130,824 tonnes had spewed into the sea.Marine engineers with the Anglo-Dutch salvage crew are making preparations to sail or tow the giant disabled vessel to a repair yard, possibly in Belfast or northern France.Landing craft specialists from the Royal Marines are to help in the massive clear-up operation, which is expected to take two weeks. A special unit with a dozen small pools is opening at Milford Haven, south-west Wales, where RSPCA inspectors will be able to test the buoyancy and fitness of birds before releasing them back into the wild.Diving teams were yesterday assessing damage to the ruptured tanks of the 147,000 tonne Sea Empress, now empty and berthed at the port after spilling more than half its cargo of oil into the sea when it ran aground. “There is no doubt whatsoever that many more birds are dying out at sea,” Richard Timothy, an RSPCA spokesman, said.

“When the current calm weather breaks, we expect an increase in the numbers of oiled birds being driven ashore.”Conservation organisations and volunteers are now caring for more than 3,000 oiled survivors at RSPCA bird hospitals. But wildlife experts say reliable scientific data indicates that only one dead bird in ten is recovered. PETER VICTOR

More than 25,000 sea birds may have been killed by the disastrous oil spill from the Sea Empress tanker, the RSPCA said yesterday.
Latest casualty figures show that just under 2,500 carcasses have been collected along the South Wales coastline. The NAO found 18 cases of damage to paintings and frames where the authorities had not been notified.