11:38am Friday 6th April 2007
JOYRIDERS were blasted by firefighters after racing around a Runcorn field in a stolen car and then torching the vehicle.
It is the latest in a spate of arson attacks on cars throughout the town.
Firefighter John Monaghan said: "Smoke from the blaze made driving conditions on the nearby Daresbury Expressway very dangerous.
"Car fires present very serious hazards to firefighters and the public. There is a high risk of an explosion and burning vehicles give off all sorts of toxic gases."
The Fiat Punto, stolen from The Glen in Palacefields, was dumped on a footpath in Ridding Lane, Brookvale, at 8.30am on Saturday.
"The remnants of burnt out vehicles blight the landscape," added firefighter Monaghan. "Even when they are removed, paths and roads are severely damaged by the heat."
Firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, spent half an hour extinguishing the blaze.
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