A MOTORIST says she and her partner owe their lives to a pedestrian who alerted them before their car erupted into a fireball.

Liz Earl was driving along the road in Crewkerne, when a man frantically pointed at flames coming from underneath her Fiat 500.

Liz quickly pulled into a car park and she and her partner jumped out and ran clear of the vehicle as it went up in flames.

Speaking to the Chard and Ilminster News afterwards, she said: "I owe my life and that of my partner to the pedestrian who pointed out the flames coming from under the car.

"Sadly, he walked on and I don’t know his name.

"We managed to get out on time. It was very dramatic - and traumatic."

The drama began shortly after 5pm on Wednesday (March 22) as Liz drove along Henhayes Lane.

She was unaware of a problem until she saw the pedestrian motioning at her car, which she had owned for around 18 months.

"I quickly parked it about 100 metres along and got out," said Liz.

"It would probably have burned other cars if I'd stayed on the road.

"The fire service came fairly promptly. It took them about three-quarters of an hour to put the fire out."

The car was completely burnt out and has been declared a write off.

The cause of the fire was "accidental", according to a spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

It is believed it possibly started due to an engine fault or a petrol leak.