A FAMILY has been left ‘petrified’ after their car was fire-bombed outside their home.

Coral Mears described Littlemoor as ‘like Beirut’ after she found a window in her blue Vauxhall Zafira had been smashed and a plastic bottle with flammable liquid had been set alight and thrown in.

Mrs Mears, 30, who lives in Beverley Road, Weymouth, with her partner, son and three daughters, said a neighbour had thought she had paid to have her windows blacked out.

But another neighbour realised it was smoke or fire damage and went to see her, saying: “You need to come out as your window’s been smashed.”

“We went out and found the car had been firebombed,” Mrs Mears said.

“There was a plastic bottle with a flannel coming out of it inside.

“It’s a nightmare as my partner is schizophrenic and he was really upset and I was angry and upset because I have four kids as well.”

“It’s just horrible as one of the kids or anybody could have been in the car.”

Mrs Mears lives at the house in Littlemoor with her partner Shaun Dunkley 31, and their children Natalie, 10, Amy, nine, Zoe, six, and Terrence, five.

She said items the children take to school were in the car, while the seats and compact discs were melted.

Mrs Mears said the car, which is two years old, has been written off and said her insurance company has now told her not to keep cars outside.

But she said she has a problem with her spine and needs to have the car nearby to take her children to school.

She said: “We feel petrified and like we’ve been victimised.

“It’s like Beirut here and that’s putting it nicely.

“I think we need security cameras or something.

“I just don’t feel safe and I think my partner’s health has been affected by it.”

A Dorset Police spokesman confirmed they visited and have taken the car away for tests.

He said: “We were called to a car that had been set alight and the car has been taken away for forensic examinations.

“We had a call at 9.15 on Sunday saying the car had been set on fire and we went to the address in Beverley Road. A window had been smashed and some form of accelerant had been pushed inside in a container.

“This has been examined to find out what it was.”

Anyone with information can call PC Mark Edgar on 01305 222222.