POLICE are hunting arsonists who targeted a Hampshire garage and torched cars worth tens of thousands of pounds.

An Audi Quattro and a high-end Mercedes C220 Sport were among five vehicles destroyed when fire ripped through vehicles parked at an accident repair centre.

Firefighters from Totton and Southampton arrived at the scene in Brunel Road, Calmore, to find a row of vehicles ablaze.

They managed to stop the flames spreading but one of the cars caught up in the inferno was reduced to a burnt out shell and at least three others were damaged beyond repair.

Last night Hampshire police confirmed that they were treating the incident as suspected arson.

Totton North councillor Neville Penman, pictured, said he was shocked to learn of the incident, which follows a spate of serious crimes in the town in recent months.

The blaze broke out at the Apollo Motor Company on the Calmore Industrial Estate in the early hours of yesterday.

Police and firefighters have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the fire, which involved some of the cars parked in a compound beside the Apollo building.

All the vehicles had either been repaired following accidents or were waiting for work to be carried out.

Brunel Road is on the northern edge of the industrial estate, next to Testwood Lakes, and is not overlooked by any houses.

Police carried out inquiries on the estate yesterday and firefighters searched the area with a specially-trained sniffer dog that can detect any substances that might have been used to start a blaze.

The flames were tackled by firefighters from Redbridge and Totton who spent more than an hour at the scene.

A police spokesman said: “Five vehicles were destroyed by fire and another car – a Skoda Fabia – suffered some damage. There was also damage to security fencing, rubbish bins and asphalt.

“We are treating this as suspected arson but are not linking it to any other crimes at this stage.”

The five cars wrecked in the blaze were an Audi Quattro, a Mercedes C220 Sport, a Honda Civic, a Renault Megane and a Vauxhall Corsa.

Some of the Apollo staff were called out at 4am yesterday but declined to make any comment when approached by the Daily Echo.

The fire is the second serious incident on the estate in two months.

In March three masked raiders caused £4,000 of damage to Ciggy Juice, which supplies liquids for e-cigarettes, before stealing a safe containing just £60.

As reported in the Daily Echo, Ciggy Juice bosses hit out at the “mindless destruction” caused by the intruders, who wrecked the front door and alarm system.