By Brendan Anderson

DISSIDENT Republicans are being blamed for a spate of firebombs which have destroyed business premises across the North in the run-up to Christmas.

Police investigating the most recent arson attack on a Poundstretcher store at Newtownabbey on Belfast’s northern outskirts have warned that more stores may be targeted.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but police are confident that a video cassette-style firebomb was used. The Poundstretcher attack was the fifth within three days.

Key-holders of large stores in Derry City were asked to return to their shops after a firebomb partially exploded at a Homebase DIY store on Monday. A carpet store in the same business complex was destroyed by an incendiary device Sunday with over £100,000 in stock being incinerated.

More than 100 firefighters were involved in tackling a huge blaze Sunday night at a warehouse at Sprucefield Retail Park at Lisburn 12 miles from Belfast. There was extensive damage to the rug department and smoke damage to the rest of the property. At one stage 20 appliances were working full out to control the blaze which took eight hours to extinguish.

On Saturday another firebomb, described by police as “viable,” was discovered in a sports store in Newry, Co. Down.

The attacks mark a step-up in the activities of Republican dissidents who thus far have been far from successful in their campaign. Both the Real IRA and Continuity IRA have had several members arrested during compromised or abortive operations this year.

Senior fire officers have warned that their resources may be stretched if the firebomb campaign continues, while shopworkers’ trade union leaders claim the dissidents are jeopardizing jobs.

Mitchel McLaughlin of Sinn Fein said that if dissident Republicans were behind the firebomb attacks in Derry they should “wise up and cease such activity immediately.”