A FIRE which is being treated as arson was discovered by a dad who awoke to the sounds of a loud, repetitive popping noise.

Thomas Bridgwater woke up at 2.30am on the morning of May 11 as his wife and baby son woke up.

When he opened the curtains he saw the garages at the back of his house in Westfaling Street were on fire, including a Vauxhall Corsa.

Mr Bridgwater said the car had been vandalised a few days prior.

He said: "I immediately dialled 999 and requested fire assistance. The fire grew very rapidly to the point that you could feel the heat through our bedroom window.

"Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service turned up within approximately seven minutes and quickly brought the rapidly expanding blaze under control.

"Upon closer inspection, the popping noise appeared to be the asbestos roof tiles shattering in the fire."

He said there was no damage to the adjoining garages.

Mr Bridgwater added: "Thankfully, no-one was harmed and the fire service did an excellent job."

Police said they are treating the fire as arson. If you have any information call 1010 and quote incident number 0049S 110517.