'Targeted' petrol bomb attack on home

Police say three men are thought to be responsible for a suspected arson incident at a house in Hope Carr Road, Leigh, on Saturday morning.

Firefighters were called out after a hammer is said to have been thrown through the window of the property.

This was followed by what is believed to be bottles of ignited petrol, which sparked off the blaze.

Police have confirmed that fortunately there was no-one inside the house at the time and the fire was brought under control.

But an appeal for witnesses has been issued after a suspect car, a red or burgundy Ford Ka, was seen on Hope Carr Road at around 8am the same morning.

Det Con Chris Waddicar, from GMP’s Wigan borough, said: “This was a brazen attack on a residential street in the morning so we are hopeful that people will have seen something that can help our investigation.

“Fires can have devastating consequences and thankfully no one was in the property at the time, but we could have easily been dealing with a more tragic outcome.

"I’m hoping that someone will be able to help us identify the three men that witnesses saw.

“We are treating this as a targeted attack and we have had no reports of a similar nature in the area.

“We are also really keen to hear from anyone who saw the red car or may know who the occupants were.

“Anyone with even the smallest bit of information should come forward, as that information may be vital to our investigation.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 7292, alternatively call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.