A video shows firefighters tackling a shocking car fire in Southend last night - which is believed to have been started deliberately. 

Residents witnessed a car "explode" and burst into flames in Grainger Road, Southend last night around 10.10pm, as firefighters raced to tackle the fire. 

Simon Binnie, a resident who witnessed the fire, said: "Out of nowhere, I heard and then saw the light of what seemed to be an explosion through my window.

"The flames were very tall with a lot of billowing black smoke.

"There seemed to be lots of random pops with sparks flying around, the flames had started to a climb a nearby telegraph pole."

He added that firefighters did a good job tackling the fire after arriving at the scene. 

Fire crews left the scene around 11.24pm and have recorded the cause as "deliberate."