THESE charred remains are all that was left after this car was torched by an arsonist believed to be only eight years old.

The blue Ford Escort convertible, worth about £1,000, was standing on the forecourt of a York garage when it was deliberately torched.

It went up in smoke in minutes and was already a write-off by the time firefighters arrived at about 12.30pm on Tuesday.

Mick Jennison, who owns Viking Vehicle Services, in Bull Lane, off Lawrence Street, said: "I can't believe this happened in broad daylight.

"The car was parked in a line of other cars on the forecourt so I had to move them all. At times like this, I feel like giving up on the business."

Mick, who only bought the business in January, was inside the garage's workshop, working on another vehicle, when his sister-in-law, Judy Hutchinson, noticed a plume of smoke outside.

She said: "I looked up and saw smoke and thought it was a neighbour's house. I ran and got the fire extinguisher but the car was so hot I couldn't open the doors."

Neighbours said they had seen a young boy, believed to be about eight years old, spraying litter in the street with an aerosol and setting light to it only minutes before the attack on the car. Nearby pavements were still littered with the remains of the burned rubbish.

The boy fled the scene before police and firefighters arrived.

York fire chief Graham Buckle said he was surprised that a car fire had been started by a child as young as eight.

He said: "This is the exception rather than the rule in terms of the age for someone to be starting vehicle fires. It tends to be the age group between 16 and 22.

"They have usually stolen the car or been joy riding and set fire to the car to destroy the evidence.

"But, unfortunately, a lot of the schools were shut because of the strikes, which meant that the children were about. We do see an increase in the number of deliberate fires when the schools are closed.

"It usually starts with smaller things like grass and bits of rubbish."

The fire service runs a scheme for known young arsonists and their parents to address their behaviour.

Mr Buckle said the area around Bull Lane towards Tang Hall was a hot spot for arson attacks on cars.

But he said there had been a significant decrease in arson attacks on cars across York in February and March.

He said: "There have been 15 in two months - that's a 50 per cent reduction."

In February, the Evening Press told how arson attacks on cars in York had doubled to 204 last year - or 17 a month.

Updated: 10:16 Thursday, March 30, 2006