RACIST thugs have been blamed for a fire attack on a terrified woman's home.

Amina Bi, who speaks little English and lives on her own, had to be helped from her home in Worcester Road, Blackburn, by neighbours following the 2am attack.

Police said they were treating the arson attack as a racist incident.

A pair of tracksuit trousers were tied around the handle on her front door and ignited.

As the door went up in flames, Mrs Bi was left stranded inside until neighbours came to help.

Mrs Bi, 64, who is Asian, said: "I am so angry and so scared by what happened.

"The fire was only small but it could have been very bad. I can't believe someone would do that to me."

Neighbour Jacqueline McGrew, of the Whitebirk and Intact residents association, said the incident was "shocking".

She said: "It is unbelievable that someone would target an elderly lady in her home like this.

"You can only imagine how terrifying it must be to wake up and find that your front door is on fire."

She said that racist incidents are something that residents in the area were becoming more concerned about.

Mrs McGrew, of Devon Road, added: "This is not out of the ordinary and we have seen things like this happening in the last few weeks but this is definitely the worst.

"It is very sad to see incidents like this happen, especially because Mrs Bi is such a vulnerable person.

"She lives on her own and speaks only little English. Luckily she has friends in the area who are looking after her and who were looking out for her on Monday."

Detective Inspector Peter Simm said: "We are investigating this as a racist incident."

He appealed for witnesses to come forward and said officers were also examining local CCTV in the area to see if it picked up anything.

Workers from her landlord, Twin Valley Homes, have already replaced the front door.

Anyone with information can contact police on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.