Great-grandmother 'shell-shocked' after car fire

A woman was left "shell-shocked" after her car caught fire while her granddaughter and three great-grandchildren were with her.

Jackie Richardson, from Kempston, Bedfordshire, managed to pull over safely after her 14-year-old diesel Peugeot 3008 "juddered twice" on a roundabout on Childs Way, Milton Keynes, on Monday.

Her granddaughter, Emma, noticed smoke and shouted the warning.

The automatic vehicle burst into blames within four minutes but Ms Richardson said: "Thank goodness we're all OK. It's only a car."

The president of Bedford Spiritualist Church, who is in remission from cancer, said she was taking her family to a restaurant in Milton Keynes for lunch.

"The car was fine, [but] as I got to a roundabout on Childs Way it juddered twice, so I pulled over as I didn't want to get stuck on the roundabout with the kids in the car," she said.

"All of a sudden, Emma shouted, 'Get out - there's smoke coming out of the engine'.

"There were plumes of smoke everywhere and the car burst into flames within four minutes."

Ms Richardson, who is registered disabled, added: "It's amazing how adrenaline kicks in when you need it to. It was quite scary and frightening. I couldn't believe what happened.

"Thank goodness we're all OK. After all, it's only a car. I'm just left feeling shell-shocked."

She praised the "absolutely brilliant" emergency services who came to their aid, including two off-duty police officers who "just took charge".

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service confirmed a crew attended the scene to find a car that was "well alight" at about 13:20 BST, and the road was closed.

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