Pub landlord car arson is caught on CCTV

RIDING off . . . the fire bug flees the George Tavern on his bike

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AN arsonist took a picture of a pub landlord's car before returning five minutes later to torch it.

The attack was at the George Tavern, George Street ­- just yards from Oldham's town centre police station.

Police say they are not linking the incident with two similar attacks 24 hours earlier.

Liquid

In the latest attack the man arrives at the George Tavern on a bicycle where he takes a photograph of a parked car before cycling off. Five minutes later he returns.

Smoking a cigarette, the fire bug smashes a small rear window of the vehicle before spraying a liquid on to the back seats.

He then lights a piece of paper and throws it into the car causing it to explode into flames. The attack was at 1.12am on Friday, July 15.

It comes after staggering CCTV footage of a car being set on fire at a Shaw home was released by police.

That video shows a man approaching the vehicle on a drive on Greenway at 1.41am on Thursday.

He tampered with the filler cap, before the car went up in flames, which spread to the house.

Fortunately, neighbours had already called 999 and fire crews were quickly on the scene.

Despite firefighters' best efforts, the blaze destroyed the vehicle and caused damage to the property. A bathroom was left badly charred, with the window wrecked. Parts of the property were destroyed too.

In a third incident a Rochdale couple were forced to flee their bed in the early hours of the morning after a terrifying petrol bomb attack on their sports car which spread to the their home.

Asif Ali and Charlotte Yates, who live on Kenyon Fold, Bamford were awoken by a neighbour who saw their black BMW 1 series ablaze on their drive at around 12.45am on Thursday, July 14.

The fire, which also damaged a white Mercedes convertible, spread along fence panels to the outside of the house.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.