A discarded cigarette butt has been blamed for a blaze that wreaked $250,000 worth of damage to a shed, vehicles and equipment at a Masterton garden supply firm.

A drunk man who walked behind the counter at a McDonald's Restaurant in Masterton last week clutching a black-handled kitchen knife was convicted of possession of a knife in a public place at Masterton District Court yesterday.

The "Lynx effect" had an unintended consequence for a teen driver who tried to beat a breath test.

A Masterton father accused of failing to ensure his 15-year-old daughter attended school says his family has been put through hell and his wife had a nervous breakdown.

A massive garden centre fire which dominated the Masterton skyline erupted while lunchtime customers browsed and destroyed $250,000 worth of vehicles and equipment.

Firefighters have managed to subdue the massive fire that englufed a Masterton garden centre earlier this afternoon.

A pensioner who says his 70-year-old wife was "driving him up the wall" ended up in court after punching her following a row over dinner.

A 64-year-old Masterton man has been sentenced to five years in jail for child sex offences described as "depraved, incomprehensible and unforgivable".

A 64-year-old Masterton man was sentenced to five years in jail today for historic child sex charges.

A man charged with the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Masterton can now be named.

A 37-year-old was assaulted in Masterton McDonald's carpark on Monday night after an altercation with a stranger.

An armed offenders callout was sparked after a 16-year-old was seen walking down a rural road wearing combat clothing and carrying a BB gun in Masterton.

A group of children as young as 11 were beaten in a late-night street attack in Masterton by a teenager armed with a length of wood, police say.

A Masterton woman who defrauded Work and Income of $91,000 was yesterday sentenced to home detention and community work.

A Masterton teenager with a plastic gun sparked an armed police call-out and cordon after he was seen brandishing the toy at passing motorists.

A 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in Masterton's Colombo Rd on Saturday night, police say, just a month after another sex attack.

A teenager whose driving rampage included deliberately ramming two police cars has been warned he's on the path to prison.

A forestry worker has been found guilty of assaulting his partner and trying to hit her with a claw hammer.