THORNHILL residents were woken up by "bangs and explosions" as a car was set alight in the early hours of the morning.

Fire fighters were called to Hinkler Road in Thornhill at just after 12.30am yesterday after residents woke up to see a grey Kia completely covered in flames.

The car was destroyed by the blaze and a nearby tree caught alight before it was eventually put out.

Reverend Duncan Jennings, who lives on the junction of Canon Place where the incident took place, described the scene as "very dramatic".

The 66-year-old said: "I had no idea what was happening, I was woken up by the car horn which went on and on and then when I went outside I saw all of the flames, it was really roaring away!

"It was certainly very scary, there were all sorts of bangs and explosions, it was quite dramatic.

"The emergency services were amazing, the police handled it well and the fire brigade came very quickly and handled the situation professionally."

Another resident, who didn't want to be named, added: "Someone got into the car and left, then two or three minutes later it went up in flames. There was another one here four or five months ago, I hate parking my car here!"

Hampshire Fire and Rescue put out the blaze and left the scene to the police, deeming it as "suspicious".

A spokesperson said: "Two crews from Hightown were called to the scene of a motor vehicle fire on Hinkler Road at 12.30am. The car was fully destroyed by the fire and the nearby tree sustained minor damage as the fire spread.

"It was extinguished using breathing apparatus, jets and a hose reel. Crews left the scene at 1.04am after calling Police due to the suspicious nature of the fire."

Officers have since confirmed that incident was caused by arson, and have launched an investigation to find the offender.

A Hampshire Police spokesperson said: "We were called by the fire service at 00:36am on January 3 to reports of a grey Kia Carens on fire on Hinkler Road. Anyone with information should call 101, quoting 44200041893."