TERRIFIED residents have called for a police clampdown after arsonists damaged three cars in a second night's bizarre fire-starting rampage.

The Evening Press reported on Thursday how Richard Nihill was left looking at the charred remains of his Toyota Starlet after it became "engulfed in a wall of flames".

Now three more cars have been torched.

Residents in the South Bank area were woken up to find the vehicles well alight in the early hours of Friday.

Dennis and Iris Blower, both 57, of Southlands Road, had their one-year-old Citroen Xara torched outside their Dalescroft Guest House, causing £4,000 damage.

Mrs Blower said: "They are going to need to stamp down hard on this because it's a death waiting to happen. If our car's petrol tank had caught fire it would have blown up and people could have been hurt or worse."

Mr Blower said: "This was the first car we bought new just over a year ago, and what's happened is just sickening."

Portakabin worker Phil Burley, 44, of Southlands Road, said his red Mazda was written off when a fire was started under its front bumper. It was only six months old.

He said: "I was woken up by passers-by saying my car was on fire. When I got out in the street the whole front end of the car had been engulfed and the whole of the engine compartment was gutted. The whole thing just left me feeling sick."

In a third incident, a woman from Nunthorpe Gardens, who did not want to be named, described how her neighbour banged on the door in the middle of the night saying her car had been on fire.

"Luckily, my neighbour had smelled burning and looked out to see what it was," said the woman.

"She saw the underside of my car was on fire and rushed out with a bucket of water to put it out.

"The bumper has all melted and the underskirt of the car beneath the boot is burned.

"It's bizarre to think someone is going around and randomly setting fire to cars - but that seems to be the case."

The family have now had CCTV fitted to the outside of their house.

John Swires, group manager with North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, said: "These kind of mindless incidents waste our resources and take our firefighters away from house fires and other incidents where life might be in danger.

"Car fires can quite easily spread to properties and cause danger to the public and firefighters."

A spokesman for York Police said: "This is a serious offence and anyone caught committing such offences will be dealt with.

"We are appealing for members of the public who witnessed any of these incidents to come forward and call us on 0845 6060247."

Arsonists also set fire to a garage in Count de Burgh Terrace, South Bank, and a pile of rubbish in Scarcroft Road.

Updated: 09:45 Tuesday, October 11, 2005