Two cars have been torched in Rochford in the past week.

The first was torched and abandoned in The Boulevard at around 9.45am on June 24, and the second in Sutton Court Drive, at around 3.50am.

Eyewitnesses to the second incident described an argument between a man and a woman breaking out before the fire.

Abbie Pilgrim, 28, of Sutton Court Drive, was woken at around 3.45am to the sound of a car horn blaring in the residential street.

She said: “By the time we saw it, it was fully ablaze. Looking back it doesn’t seem too bad, but in the moment it was quite a shock - there were lots of people who had been woken up and gathered in the street.”

Credit: Jim Woodley

The car rolled forward into the middle of the road, coming dangerously close to Ms Pilgrim’s property before being halted by the kerb. One of her cars suffered melted rear lights and other superficial damage.

Ms Pilgrim said: “The main concern we had was that the car would explode - it was so close to our house that it could have badly damaged both our cars and our house.

“The fire service were absolutely brilliant, they had it under control so quickly and were really reassuring, although it was worrying to hear that this seems to be a recurring problem.”

A spokesperson from Essex Police said: “The caller reported seeing four people – two women and two men – seen acting suspiciously before the fire before driving off. We have since established that the car was stolen.

“One of the men has been described as being white, around 6ft, with blond hair and was wearing a grey jacket and the other was white, of a large build with brown hair and wore a grey tracksuit. One of the women has been described as being white, with blonde hair and wore blue jeans and black top.

“Anyone with information is asked to call Rayleigh police station on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”