A CAR went up in flames when a mattress was shoved underneath it and set alight.

The incident in St James Street car park, which is being treated as a suspected arson attack, happened just before 8.47pm yesterday and a crew from Roedean Fire Station attended.

An East Sussex Fire and Rescue spokeswoman told The Argus the car was well alight when the firefighters arrived, and that the incident had been passed to the police.