Fife driving instructor car firebombed with Irn Bru bottle

A DRIVING instructor is living in fear after thugs used an Irn Bru bottle filled with petrol to firebomb her car.

Firefighters said the car had probably been set alight 15 minutes before they arrived. Picture: John Devlin

Linda Gavin was woken late on Wednesday night to find her Linda’s Learners vehicle ablaze in the driveway of her home in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

The 48 year-old says she has no idea why she has been targeted and said without her neighbour raising the alarm her house could have burned down.

She said: “I feel totally threatened and never slept a wink after it.

“I’m scared about them coming back.”

“If our neighbour hadn’t seen the car when she did, the other cars in the drive would have gone on fire and the house could have gone on fire,” she said.

Mrs Gavin said “It looks like the back window has been smashed with a brick.

“There was a brick lying at the back end of my car and an Irn-Bru bottle inside the car with a rag in it.

“A petrol bomb was thrown into the car.

“It’s the sort of thing that happens in the movies.”

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service arrived at Mrs Gavin’s home in Hendry Crescent at around 11.30pm on Wednesday.

Firefighters said the car had probably been set alight 15 minutes before they arrived.

Mrs Gavin was asleep at the time but thanks to the neighbour raising the alarm, the fire was put out before it reached the house.

However, her son’s Mini Cooper, which was next to her car, was damaged.

Mrs Gavin has been inundated with messages of support on her Facebook page.

And her pupils have been reassured that lessons will continue as normal.

She added: “I have got a courtesy car already and will be out on the road tomorrow.

“Whoever has done this has not put me out of business.

“Once the insurance company sorts everything out, I will have my Linda’s Learners car out on the road.

“I’ve got a test on Monday. The poor girl is going to have to sit her test in a totally different car to the one she learned to drive in. It’s so unfair.”

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “Police in Fife were called to

Hendry Crescent in Kirkcaldy around 11.30pm on Wednesday following a report of a car alight.

“A Ford Fiesta was subject to an act of wilful fireraising, and a Mini Cooper parked nearby was also damaged as a result.

“Officers would urge anyone with information about this to contact Police Scotland on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

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