Express & Star

Cars torched in Dudley arson attacks

A spate of car fires hit the region - including two arson attacks and a dramatic engine blow-out on the M6.

Published

Fire crews had to shut two lanes of the northbound side of the motorway with the burning car stranded between junctions 10 and 10A where there is no hard shoulder.

Two young males travelling to Stafford had escaped to safety at the side of the carriageway while the engine fire took hold.

Crews were called at 8pm on Saturday night and took 30 minutes to secure the scene until the Highways Agency took over.

Watch commander Ian Hill of Merridale Fire Station said: "Fortunately traffic was light so it didn't cause a huge problem to close the lanes."

Over in Dudley there were two arson attacks on unoccupied cars on the same night.

Firefighters were called to Oak Road at 9.50pm on Saturday and Rosemary Road a few hours later at 2.10am.

The first involved a truck and the second a Vauxhall Corsa and on both occasions the owners weren't present.

Acting watch commander Nigel Hobbey played down any suggestion that the car fires were a growing trend, saying the night was a 'one off'.

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