POLICE officers are today hunting for arsonists after a car was torched in an Ipswich street.

Plumes of smoke could be seen across the town in the early hours of yesterday morning after the car, which was parked in a residential car park in Cavendish Street, was set alight.

Sandy Smith, who lives just streets away in Alan Road, said he woke up at about 4.45am and spotted “a pall of smoke”, before hearing “several” loud explosions.

“I saw a couple of police on foot running to the scene and a patrol car parked up,” the 34-year-old said. “I watched the smoke for a while, heard several bangs which I had assumed to be canisters of some kind exploding, I now think that they were either petrol tanks or windows blowing.

“I could tell that the situation was well in hand with the emergency services, and after only a few minutes the smoke had thinned out, changed in colour to a much lighter grey, so I assumed that the matter had been dealt with and went back to bed.”

A spokeswoman for Suffolk police said the fire spread to engulf a red Seat Ibiza parked nearby, causing “substantial damage” to the vehicle and surrounding fencing.

A crew from Princes Street fire station were alerted shortly after 4.40am. They discovered the two cars well alight and fence panels also engulfed in flames.

The incident under control by 5.10am.

Police officers are treating the incident as arson and are appealing for witnesses to come forward. If you saw or heard what happened please call Pc Conor Ward at Ipswich Neighbourhood Response Team on 01473 613500.