My family could have been killed
ADAD has told of his terror after his car was torched on his drive while his family slept. Paul Ponting said that he was reading in bed when the room suddenly lit up.
When he looked out of the window he saw that his car had been engulfed in flames.
Paul said that when he raced downstairs and opened his front door the ferocity of the flames shocked him and forced him back inside.
He helped his wife and their two children downstairs to the kitchen, which is at the back of their house on Yew Tree Road in Ormskirk.
The fire destroyed Paul’s VW Up, and seriously damaged a Citroen Picasso which was parked next to it.
The incident happened at around 12.45am on Thursday.
CCTV from Paul’s home showed a man pouring a liquid on the VW, followed by a sudden burst of flames.
He said: “The CCTV shocked me. I think that the man must have suffered burns, because the fire started so quickly. I don’t think he could have got away in time without being injured.
“The firefighters were brilliant. They told me that they found a melted plastic container on the driveway, which must have had petrol in it.”
Paul, originally from Liverpool, said that both his teenage children were upset by the attack at their home.
He said: “My daughter was in tears and my wife is upset too.
“I have contacted my MP, Rosie Cooper, who has agreed to speak to the police about this incident at my home. This man could have killed my family.
“We have lost two cars and the driveway is in a real mess.
“There is a bit of smoke damage to our home but thankfully the cars did not explode.
“The VW was petrol so could easily have blown.”
A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue service said: “One fire engine from Ormskirk attended a deliberate car fire in Ormskirk.
“When firefighters arrived at the scene, the fire had spread from the car to another vehicle close by.
“Firefighters used one hose reel to extinguish the fire. The police were called to the scene to help with the investigation.”
A Lancashire Constabulary spokesman said that officers were called out to the address following reports of a car fire.
The spokesman said that the incident was being treated as ‘suspicious.’
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 111 555.