Bothwell: the affluent Glasgow town that has become UK’s ‘firebomb capital’

A high street is punctuated by burned-out buildings like rotten teeth in an otherwise perfect smile - what's going on?

On the banks of the River Clyde, half an hour to the south-east of Glasgow, Bothwell is one of the city's prettiest and most prosperous commuter towns, famous for its medieval castle and annual scarecrow festival. Bothwell's Victorian villas and secluded enclaves of luxury modern mansions sell into the millions to the TV personalities, professional footballers and entrepreneurs who favour its environs.

Bothwell Main Street, a designated conservation area, showcases glorious floral displays in summertime and year round an array of independent boutiques, jewellers and beauticians buck the trend for high street degeneration.