A FIREBOMBER attacked a newsagents shop today just days after the owner and his family were targeted by racist thugs.

Police and fire crews were called to M and I News in Hereford Road, Blackburn at around 11.30am after reports that a white man had ridden up to the shop on a bicycle before throwing something inside.

Aziza Patel, daughter of the shop's owner, Mr Iqbal Patel, who was serving in the shop at the time of the blaze, said she was terrified when the firebomb set alight a rack standing close to the door.

She managed to push it outside before raising the alarm.

She said it was the second time in only half-an-hour that an arsonist had hit the shop.

The first incident had been minor, involving a greetings card display.

She said: "We were just clearing up when this happened.

"Someone came in on a bike and threw something, I don't know what ... there's a lot of damage.

"There were flames everywhere in seconds."

Police said today that they had recorded one incident of racist abuse being shouted at the family in the last few days.

Aziza said: "This is the fourth attack on our family in the last week. A car was damaged, graffiti was scrawled on the walls, and twice members of the family were subjected to racist abuse.

"We are scared to go to sleep. We are the only Asian family in this area and after what happened to the family in Accrington we are terrified.

"We have had all sorts of problems ever since the violence in Oldham.

"I was standing in the shop this morning and I had just served an old lady when a white man parked his bike outside the shop and ran in and threw something on the floor. When I looked up the shop was in flames."