A MAN has appeared in court after being accused of setting a car on fire in Westcliff.

Firefighters rushed to deal with the incident in Carlton Avenue after frightened residents had raised the alarm.

A vehicle parked on a driveway was seen engulfed in flames, with the inferno also spreading to a nearby car.

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Police were part of the emergency response to the fire and have since confirmed a man has been charged in connection with the incident.

One eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: “I was sat in my front room, having a cup of tea and watching the telly when I suddenly heard this roaring noise from outside.

“I ran out my house and was met by a wall of heat.

“The fire was raging so hard it looked like it might swallow up the house.

“It was terrifying.”

Images from the scene show the flames reaching around 20ft in the air when the fire was at its worst.

It took crews more than an hour to put the flames out and make the scene safe.

An Essex Fire spokesman confirmed an investigation had been carried out into the cause of the blaze.

He said: “We were called to a car fire in Carlton Avenue, Westcliff on Monday at 11.21pm.

“A crew from Leigh attended and extinguished the fire by 12.38am.

“The cause has been recorded as deliberate.”

Essex Police says a man was arrested the morning after the fire and quizzed by officers.

Christopher Drew, of Coniston, Southend, has since been charged with numerous offences.

The charges include arson; two counts of stalking without fear, alarm or distress; two counts of criminal damage; two counts sending a letter, communication or article conveying a threat; possessing a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid, gas, or electrical incapacitation device or thing.

Drew, 44, was due to make his first appearance at Southend Magistrates’ Court yesterday.