ARSONISTS are being hunted today after three cars were torched in Cullingham Road, Ipswich.The blaze, ignited at about 11.45pm yesterday, started in an abandoned grey Peugeot 205 and spread to a Peugeot 307 and a blue Rover 218.

ARSONISTS are being hunted today after three cars were torched in Cullingham Road, Ipswich.

The blaze, ignited at about 11.45pm yesterday, started in an abandoned grey Peugeot 205 and spread to a Peugeot 307 and a blue Rover 218.

Noel Pattern had his Rover car was written off in the fire, as was Lucy Gallagher's Peugeot 307.

Mr Pattern, of Cullingham Road, was alerted to the blaze by his wife.

He said: “The middle car was ablaze and it spread to both cars either side, including mine.

“Both are now a write-off. The car in which the fire started in has been abandoned for about two months and someone had been sleeping in it.

“I'm hoping people might have seen something. It happened at a busy time, with lots of people coming home from the football.

”We don't normally park in that car park but had to last night because all the cars were parked in our road for the football.”

Miss Gallagher, 22, a primary school teacher in Colchester, who lives in the road, lost some irreplaceable items in the blaze.

She said: “I'm a bit annoyed about it. My car had a lot of personal possessions inside, including my laptop and photographs. They can't be replaced.

“I didn't know anything about it until I went to my car at 7am and saw it was a complete shambles.”

A police spokeswoman confirmed the incident is being treated as arson.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Pc Craig Stock at Ipswich police on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.