STANDING in Broad Street at midnight the only thing I could hear was the gentle hum of distant traffic and frost crackling on car windows.

So it was hard to believe that just over a week ago the same road was awash with firefighters trying to save a family whose home was engulfed by flames.

It has been 10 days since a horrific arson attack on 22 Broad Street endangered the lives of the family-of-four living there.

The house remains boarded up with just a simple notice across the door alerting the few who did not know of the terrible attack.

I joined Emma Spooner and Gordon Hardie of Wiltshire Police's Major Investigation Team a week on from the attack.

The job was simple: speak to anyone - everyone - who walked along Broad Street and find out what they knew.

The first group we spoke to heard about the incident through friends.

Brazil-born Marcello Zanbaiocche, 21, said he was horrified by the attack.

He said: "It is scary to think of it happening in a street near where you live.

"It is lucky the family are okay but they must be frightened by all that has happened."

Friend 26-year-old Ricardo Ramben said: "It is big news around here, even my mother in Brazil has heard about it.

"It is a very frightening thing to have happened in Swindon. We have only been here six months so don't know the area well. I didn't know it had happened right on my doorstep."

As the night wore on a group of late-night revellers staggered up the street bound for the town centre.

They too heard about the firebombing but knew nothing as to why this happened.

Scott, who didn't want to give his surname, lives on the other side of Swindon and was visiting a friend but knew about the attack less than 24 hours after it happened.

He said: "Everyone knows about it but I had no idea it was here. We were just walking down this way to go to Angelos but I didn't think a house down here would get petrol bombed. It is worrying."

As DC Spooner continued her questioning, curtains twitched along the street.

Many of the neighbours have already been thoroughly questioned as police carried out door-to-door interviews in the hours after the fire.

"There is still much we need to learn about what has happened here," said DC Spooner.

"It's a matter of finding that one person who can shed some light on what has happened and why.

"The family are in the terrifying position of not knowing why this has been done to them so the need to get this information is all the more crucial."