A quiet road in the Hampshire countryside was lit up in flames after a car was found on fire.

Residents and members of the public found a car on fire at around 2am on Stockbridge Road, Timsbury, near Romsey, in the early hours of Sunday, December 15.

The car fire on Stockbridge Road, Timsbury (Image: Richard Croxall) Richard Croxall, 69, who lives on the road, said he was going to the toilet when he discovered the car burning outside by the old police house.

He said: "I heard a noise, a bit like you might hear if someone pressed hard against the side of a car. I thought, 'What's that?' because we've got two cars outside.

"I opened the curtains and [...] there was a car well up in flames."

Mr Croxall said his wife, Sylvia, went to phone the emergency services whilst he went out to see if he could offer any help.

A group of young people, on their way back from Awbridge, also stopped to help and managed to ring 999 before Mrs Croxall.

Nobody was found in or around the car, but someone reported hearing that people were running across the nearby fields towards Brashfield.

Mr Croxall said fire services arrived around five minutes after and police about five minutes later than them. He said they were at the scene for at least an hour.

Hampshire Constabulary said: "Police were called at 2.12am this morning by colleagues in the fire service regarding a single vehicle collision on Stockbridge Road where the vehicle had caught alight.

"No injuries were reported."

The police have been approached for further comment regarding the eye-witness reports of figures running through the nearby field.

They said: "Information from potential witnesses would form part of the investigation and not something we would comment on at this time."

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said: "Romsey firefighters responded to a vehicle fire on Stockbridge Road in Timsbury at 2am on Saturday. The fire completely destroyed the vehicle, which was extinguished using two hose reel jets.

"The incident was handed over to the police, as the fire is suspected to have been started deliberately. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) left the scene at 3 am."