A mother and daughter fled their Shropshire home early today wearing only their pyjamas after a car caught fire just a foot from their front door.

The pair ran from their Broseley home when the front windows smashed due to the heat of the blaze, which investigators are treating as a “malicious” attack.

Five firefighters spent more than an hour and a half tackling the fire after being called out to Bridgnorth Road at about 1.05am.

A spokesman for Shropshire Fire Service said the saloon car, which was destroyed, was just a foot from the house when it caught fire.

Tim Hughes, watch manager at Tweedale Fire Station, said crews had to use two hose reel jets and breathing apparatus to douse the flames.

He said: “The saloon car involved caused damage to an adjacent property, it looks malicious. It broke the downstairs windows, it could have been serious. It was parked about a foot from the house.

“There were two people in the house and one of them raised the alarm,” he said.

“Fire investigators and the police will come up with what they think happened.”

He added: “Ambulance staff were there making sure the people stayed outside. They were in their night clothing so they made sure they didn’t get cold.”

A police spokesman said that they were assisting the fire service with its investigations.

John Hawker, spokesman for Shropshire Ambulance Service, said: “We were called just after 1.08am this morning and an ambulance and an incident support officer attended the scene and found a car on fire.

“But there were no patients in the car and no one was injured.”