Telford car attacks: Taxi driver fled house after fire
A taxi driver has said he is lucky to be alive after having to flee his home when his cab was targeted during a spate of arson attacks in Shropshire.
Mahmood Hussien’s taxi was one of six vehicles damaged in Leegomery, Telford, in the early hours of Friday.
Mr Hussien described how he was awoken by police at about 04:00 BST and told to leave his home.
He said his car was parked near his home and the flames came close enough to crack the windows of his house.
The six attacks are being linked with 13 previous ones in the Grainger Drive area of Leegomery since 28 March and another arson attack in Wellington on Friday night.
‘Livelihood threatened’
Mr Hussien said: “The police officer knocked on the door at about 4 o’clock and woke us up.
“I came downstairs and the cab was on fire.
“She [the police officer] just said ‘get out of the house, get out of the house, get out of the house’.
“We all got out of the house.”
He added: “Whoever is doing it is no good.
“This is my living, my livelihood and there’s me stuck. I can’t go to work. I can’t make my living.
“My cab was parked close to the house. [The flames] cracked the windows and could have gone into the curtains and into the house.
“Somebody could have got killed. I’m not just talking about myself but other people. It’s really worrying.”
‘Horrific bang’
Tina Webster, from Acacia Drive, could only watch as her car burned on Friday.
Ms Webster said: “I heard an horrific bang and I looked out of my bedroom window and I could see flames and I knew it was my car.
“It’s a mobility car. It’s 12 months old and that’s my only way of getting around from A to B.
“It’s gone now so I don’t know what I’m going to do.
“They’d arrested people, so they told us. They said they’d put heightened police security on around the estates and yet another five [attacks happened on Friday morning].”
A police spokesman said the latest “random” attack involved a VW van parked in Arleston Avenue.
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