THERE were dramatic scenes in the early hours in Lye this morning when a car went up in flames in a suspected arson attack.

Fire crews were called out to put out the flames on a blazing black SEAT Ibiza which exploded into a fireball just before 5am on land at the back of the Nisa convenience store in Lye High Street.

A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said five firefighters were sent to the scene after the service received a 999 call at 4.54am.

He added: "Firefighters wore breathing apparatus to tackle the fire which they suspect was started deliberately."

West Midlands Police were also alerted to the incident.

The blaze was reported to have spread to nearby bins, according to a member of the New Lye Action Group.

Kamran Razzaq, Conservative candidate for Lye and Stourbridge North, said of the drama: "I deplore the incident that took place, and thank the emergency services on their prompt response.

"People of Lye are sick of these kinds of incidents. I will ask the police to maximise their presence in the area to send a strong message that this kind of behaviour won’t be tolerated in our community."