Hunt for youth who tried to blow up residents' vehicles

In the early hours of yesterday, the youth forced open the door of a parked Citroen Saxo in Waverley Street, Middlesbrough and poured petrol inside but it failed to ignite.

He then turned his attention to a Ford Focus parked next to it, smashed a passenger window, poured petrol inside and set it on fire.

Residents were woken at about 2am by the sound of the explosion which shook their windows.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: "We woke up to the windows shaking. I thought it was the police going in through someone's front door."

The arsonist, described as in his early teens, was seen escaping on a silver BMX bike.

Detective Sergeant Adrian Bradley said: "This was a deliberate act which could have had devastating consequences for people in the area if the cars had exploded. It's imperative this youth is tracked down."

Police revealed they have security cameras footage of a group of youngsters filling up cans of petrol on a garage forecourt before the incident.

They are also looking into an earlier incident, when solvent or paint was thrown over the same two cars.

A 65-year-old widow, who lives in the street, said: "I could see the flames. I was just frightened.''

Middlesbrough fire station chief Andy Witham said: "Lighting a deliberate fire is always a risk to the arsonist and the public, but the risks increase dramatically if they are in close proximity to residential areas.

"Vehicles have many toxic products in them such as petrol that can help develop a fire quickly. The time that this arsonist struck, which was in the early hours, people were in bed asleep and it could have been a while for the fire to be detected. Luckily, in this case, the fire was put out early but it could have had disastrous consequences.''

The arsonist is described as skinny, 4ft 9in and wore a light blue track suit top and dark track suit bottoms.

People with information are asked to contact police on (01642) 303126 or 303137.