AN EYEWITNESS has told how a gang of men wielding baseball bats threw petrol bombs into a semi-detached house in Darlington.

The five men pulled up in a car and smashed several windows before throwing the petrol bombs inside the house, which stands on the corner of The Mead and Yarm Road.

Police said on Tuesday that they are treating the incident as suspected arson and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

The incident happened at about 11pm on Monday night. It is understood that the occupiers were not inside at the time.

"I was upstairs in bed when I heard lots of smashing and looked out of my window to see five men with baseball bats run into a white car," the eyewitness, who is not being named, told The Northern Echo.

"There was loads of smoke. The men had smashed the windows and petrol-bombed the house.

"Then I saw them drive off towards Morton Park. It must have been over in about 60 seconds."

The eyewitness called the police before going to the burning house to check whether anyone was inside.

It is understood that the family are away on holiday.

"Then I checked on the old couple who live next door to that house. They were inside and said they hadn't heard anything," they said.

A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary said: "Police are investigating a suspected arson at a house in The Mead in Darlington. The report was received at 11pm on Monday."

The house was cordoned off as police and firefighters attended the scene to collected evidence.

A police sniffer dog was also deployed to check around other houses on Yarm Road.

Anyone with information should contact police on 101.