A FATHER whose car was set on fire in an arson attack in Daubhill has appealed for information about the incident.

Abdul Patel, aged 47, and his family were asleep in the early hours of April 16 when someone climbed a wall surrounding their bungalow in Edge Hill Road and set fire to the silver Volkswagen Golf.

The car was destroyed and a second car belonging to the family, a Seat Alhambra, which Mr Patel used for his work as a taxi driver, was also written off because of damage.

CCTV cameras attached to the house pictured a dark figure climbing over the wall and setting a fire under the front of the car. A short time later the footage shows huge flames engulfing the vehicle.

The footage does not show a clear picture of the offender, so Mr Patel is asking for anyone with information to come forward.

He said: “I loved that car but the real effect of what happened is that me and my family feel scared to death.

“This malicious act has left us feeling vulnerable and we have barely slept properly since.”

At the time of the fire, Mr Patel’s children, aged six and two, were sleeping in the house, as well as his 84-year-old mother.

He added: “To think of what could have happened to them is unbearable. It would have left us completely devastated.

"We want any information that could help to secure a conviction against this person for their cold, callous act.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.