Probe as man sees car go up in flames
AN ARSON investigation is under way after a Southport man woke to see his car going up in flames.
Landscape gardener Tom Lea, 19, described his devastation as his Seat Leon was reportedly set alight in the early hours of Tuesday morning as a series of fires hit Southport.
Tom was woken at about 4.30am when his mum heard a car alarm and looked out of the window to discover it was his car.
She yelled up to Tom, who ran downstairs while ringing the fire brigade.
Firefighters arrived within six minutes but the car, which he had bought just two weeks earlier, was already in a bad state and has since been removed by the insurance company.
Tom said: “My mum sleeps in
the front bedroom so she can here everything that goes on out there.
“She heard a load of lads in the road but thought nothing of it. Then later she heard a car alarm and saw a car on fire and started shouting, ‘Tom, your car’s on fire!’.
“I was in and out of sleep, not understanding, until I jumped out of bed and ran down, getting dressed and ringing the fire brigade.”
Firefighters at the incident, in Poulton Road, High Park, said they could see no indication of any electrical fault which could have caused the fire.
Tom said: “I’m, not saying it was those kids but when I’ve posted on Facebook there’s people saying ‘my bins were set on fire as well’.
“I work hard for my money, I put my day’s graft in to be able to drive my car, to be able to fill it up with petrol.
“I dread to think what my insurance is going to be because I pay through the nose for it already.”
He added: “It’s a horrible sight out there watching your car burn.
“I’m trying to stay positive, I’ve sort of struggled with my mental health recently and it has affected me at work.”
Minutes after the incident, the firefighters were sent to a wheelie bin which had been set alight outside a house on nearby Bispham Road while a family with young children slept in the nearby house.
Two hours later, lorry driver Paul Mellor discovered a burnt out car, believed to be a Mercedes-Benz, while walking his dog near the former park and ride site in Kew..
Another small fire was reported on Newton Road in High Park but police are so far unable to confirm if the incidents are linked.
Merseyside police and Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service have launched a joint investigation into the fire which wrecked Tom’s car and are treating it as a suspected arson, with CCTV and witness inquiries ongoing.
Det Insp Gary Stratton said: “Thankfully nobody was injured but the vehicle has been destroyed and the potential consequences of any fire are catastrophic, on anyone who lives nearby.
“We are keeping an open mind as to the reasons behind this incident.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside police with reference 19100510981 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.