THIS was the aftermath of a raging fire which tore through this car while it was parked in an Ipswich driveway.Firefighters were called to a report of a small fire in a car parked in Ireland Road.

THIS was the aftermath of a raging fire which tore through this car while it was parked in an Ipswich driveway.

Firefighters were called to a report of a small fire in a car parked in Ireland Road.

But what started out as a small fire quickly turned into something more and the vehicle was beyond saving.

The car's owner, Stephanie Mowles, was left with only a shell of her people carrier after the fire broke out and completely gutted the vehicle.

But the first the Mowles family new about the fire was when they woke up in the morning to find the remnants of the blaze.

Mrs Mowles, 29, said:”I opened the curtains in the morning and thought someone had thrown something at the window because it was cracked but then I saw the car.

It was completely burnt out and the baby toys that were inside were melted to the driveway.”

The family slept through the entire ordeal, despite fire engines arriving on the scene with their sirens sounding.

Mrs Mowles, who lives with her boyfriend and four children, believes the car was broken into and a blanket, used by her children on cold winter mornings, set alight.

The car was towed away the next day but left a mark on the Mowles' shared driveway and parts of their house.

Mrs Mowles said: “It scorched the ground and the gutters on the house were damaged. The grass around the car is dead and my neighbour still can't park in the driveway because of the broken glass. It's impossible to even tell what colour the car was. Luckily we have another one but its not big enough to fit us all in.”

The people carrier was bought especially for a family holiday at the end of the month but now the Mowles family will have to find alternative means of travel.

Have you had holiday plans disrupted by vandals? Write to: Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk>