THE owner of two cars has spoken of his terror after an arsonist torched both.

Two fire engines were dispatched to the scene in Woburn Place, Brighton, shortly after midnight on Monday.

Police said someone set fire to the first car, a black hatchback, and the fire spread to a red vehicle parked next to it.

Both cars were badly damaged and had to be towed away.

The owner, who asked not to be named, said: “I am absolutely petrified.

“They destroyed two perfectly good cars.

“The cars were completely burnt out.

“Police said they have a witness who saw the cars being torched.”

An 81-year-old woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “My dog was barking at about 11.20pm.

“I told it to shut up. Twenty minutes later the dog was going barmy.

“Then I could see the flashing lights of the fire engines and flames.

“The fire brigade were absolutely brilliant. They contained the blaze so quickly.”

Another resident, Alex Legrand, 38, said he heard two loud explosions.

He added: “I was asleep in my room and then I heard two loud bangs.

“I saw fire engines attending the scene and dealing with the fire.

“It was a terrifying experience.”

A Sussex Fire spokesman said: “Firefighters from Brighton attended a car fire on Monday at 12.20am.”

"They quickly had the flames under control."

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “A person wearing a black hoody and grey tracksuit bottoms is reported to have burnt the car before running away from the scene.”