Car blown up by teenage vandal in mystery attack

Eyewitnesses saw the boy, believed to be aged between 15 and 18, force off the petrol tank cap before stuffing material in and setting the tank alight.

He then ran from the scene before the blue Vauxhall Vectra exploded seconds later.

Neighbours described hearing a "deafening boom" which shattered the car windows and sent flames 20 feet into the air.

Police today said the incident in Craigentinny Road at about 8:05pm on Wednesday caused 3,000 of damage as they appealed for help in tracing the suspect.

Firefighters spent 25 minutes dousing the blaze which left the vehicle completely gutted.

A couple, who are believed to own the car, arrived as it was being towed away and spoke to police officers about the attack on the Vectra, which was the only car parked in that part of the street.

Seonaid Harse, 19, a pharmacy assistant, witnessed the attack from her bedroom window.

She said: "I heard a banging outside which is why I decided to have a look. I could see someone beside the car hitting the petrol cap, which must have made the noise.

"He seemed to get the cap off and then put something inside it before running away. Then the back of the car just exploded and flames were shooting up. I thought it was going to set fire to the tree next to it.

"The fire brigade were there in about ten minutes and it took them 20 to 25 minutes to put it out because the fire was really bad and there was a lot of smoke.

"He was aged about 15 to 18. There wasn't anyone else hanging around in the street at the time."

Her mother Joyce, who also works as a pharmacy assistant, said: "I hadn't seen that car parked in the street before. It was the only one parked there at that time last night, which is unusual.

"We haven't heard of any reason why that car was attacked. A young couple came up later when it was being towed away and they seemed to be the owners.

"It's a quiet part of the street. My husband had the aerial broken off his car on New Year's Eve but I think that was just someone's drunken high jinks. We've not had anything like this."

Another neighbour, Catherine Swanson, 62, said she had been shocked by the noise of the explosion outside the block of flats. She said: "It was a deafening boom, really terrifying. My son came running to me and said someone must've petrol bombed the car. It wasn't a fire which gradually took hold. It just went up in one go with all the windows shattering."

A police spokesman said: "The fire caused approximately 3,000 worth of damage and is being treated as suspicious.

"The suspect is described as male, white with a slim to medium build and scruffy appearance. He was wearing a dark jacket and a blue baseball cap.

"Anyone who was in the area and witnessed anything suspicious or who can help us identify this individual is asked to contact police immediately."