A STOLEN car, torched and dumped, has been discovered in Haxby - and police would like to know who was responsible.

The car was found abandoned in Back Lane, Haxby last Sunday, burned out and barely recognisable. The fire was so intense that one woman was even concerned that her house would catch fire, according to police.

Another alarmed passer-by photographed the vehicle. They said there appeared to have been some damage caused to the premises nearby.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire police said: "It was a stolen vehicle.

"The incident happened just after midnight when someone reported the car being driven around the Birch Park Industrial Estate.

"By the time the police got there, the car was on fire. The fire brigade attended and put the car out. There wasn't a lot left of it.

"We do not know exactly when the car was stolen, but I suspect not long before the incident.

"The inquiry will continue. Anyone with details should call York Police."

North Yorkshire Police also said that they had recorded no actual damage to the buildings near the car.

York Police can be contacted on 0845 60 60 247.