A CRAZY arsonist, wanted for attacks on houses and property in Summerseat in the past six weeks, has now struck in the Walmersley area.

A terrified family had to flee their home in Lumn Street after an early-morning fire destroyed their £15,000 caravan on Wednesday (July 11).

And the mystery arsonist is also being blamed for torching a nearby £10,500 Ford Fiesta car just minutes later.

Wednesday's fires have the hallmarks of previous attacks on homes, caravans and cars in Summerseat and detectives say they "have not ruled out" a possible link.

Firefighters were called out to Lumn Street around 2.55am to tackle the caravan blaze.

The vehicle was parked close to the gable end of a house occupied by Howard and Tracy Foote, who were asleep. Also inside were the couple's two daughters and another girl, aged between five and 13. There were fears that flames, which spread rapidly, could have reached the loft bedroom occupied by two of the children.

Mrs Foote (33) said: "I heard some sort of explosion and I knew at once it was the caravan. I heard the smoke alarm in the vehicle.

"By the time I got downstairs it was fully ablaze. I couldn't do anything."

Flames from the caravan spread swiftly to the eaves in the roof and the intense heat generated melted a lamp post light fitting, a telephone cable and the couple's satellite dish.

Mrs Foote continued: "I've never seen anything burn so quickly. We had to leave the house. I was convinced the fire would start-up again or that the arsonist would come back to finish his work.

"I can't believe someone could be so irresponsible, so unbelievably stupid. It was even more stupid given that Tetrosyl, one of Bury's biggest chemical firms, is right next door.

"To do something like this, so close to houses, is nothing short of attempted murder."

The caravan was bought in February and the family had been planning to use it for a holiday later this summer.

Minutes after the caravan blaze, a Ford Fiesta car in the garage driveway of a house in nearby Trent Drive, Limefield, was destroyed.

Owner Janet Hoyle said: "Three weeks ago we had the garage burgled and now this happens. I want this to be followed right through and the person responsible to end up in court."

Det Sgt Duncan Heywood of Bury's Operational Police Unit said: "There are similarities between the arson attacks in the Limefield area and those suffered recently by residents in Summerseat. The fires have all been started around 2am or 3am and cars and caravans have been targeted. We have launched a full investigation."

A car parked next to the home of an 83-year-old deaf woman was suspiciously torched in the early hours of Monday (July 9).

The rear window of a Vauxhall Astra, parked under a wooden carport in Springside Road, Walmersley, had been smashed before being set alight. The pensioner had to be woken by firefighters called to the scene.