Family business wiped out in suspected arson attack

Aftermath: Firefighters at TRL Motors (photo by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue)

A HIGHLY respected Rotherham family business has been wrecked in a suspect arson attack, destroying four decades of work.

TRL Motors on Foljambe Road, East Dene, was found ablaze on Sunday afternoon, with flames ripping through the building.

Firefighters spent seven hours at the scene, but were unable to save the MoT station.

It meant the end of four decades of work for Tony Levers, aged 85, and his son Rob, 60, who had worked together on the business.

Their future is now unclear and a fund-raiser has been launched in an attempt to keep them afloat financially until they can assess the future.

Charlotte Baxter, Rob’s former partner, said Tony had worked relentlessly on the business, with Rob spending his career alongside his dad.

It had been expected their son would then move in to join the business, which focused on conducting MoT inspections, as he progressed.

But it was now accepted the business was unlikely to re-open in its existing form, because the fire had reduced it to “ash”, she said.

The business had been subjected to previous ram-raids, said Charlotte, and a police investigation had been launched on the day of the fire, with arson suspected.

Family members had been told an arrest had been made, though the police investigation was still progressing, she said.

“Tony has been a target for the last few months,” she said.

“The garage has been his life, he gets up at 4am and goes to the yard and stays there until 5pm,” she said.

The idea to raise funds came from their daughter Chloe, she said, with £350 being donated through a GoFundMe page on the first day it was launched.

It can be accessed at https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-tony-family-after-trl-motors-fire?cdn-cache=0

“We have had an amazing response,” said Charlotte.

“It has been really nice to see the messages from people and to see the community coming together,” she said.

The business, which stands for Tony and Rob Levers, had previously had a mechanic working alongside the MoT side of the work, but he had died and the father and son had decided to continue principally offering MoT services.

It remains unclear what will happen to the site.

South Yorkshire Police have been approached for comment.