AN ARSONIST targeted a car on a Blackburn drive twice in one night.

Firefighters were called to Dunoon Drive in Shadsworth first at 10.50pm when neighbours were able to extinguish the blaze, then again at 3am when the same Renault Megane was engulfed in flames.

The car, which was parked on the road, was first set on fire using a jar of petrol topped with a rag placed on top of the vehicle and set alight.

The heat caused the jar to shatter and flames damaged the bodywork of the car and the driver’s door.

A neighbour was able to extinguish the blaze, just before fire crews arrived and the car owner returned home to find his vehicle damaged.

Later that night fire crews and police were called out to the address for a second time at 3am to discover a blaze which wrecked the car.

Crew Manager Dave Hilliard said: “This time the car was a ball of flames. Whoever had set fire to it had this time smashed the windows and set fire to the interior using a significant amount of petrol.” Police and fire crews are now investigating.