A CLASSIC car enthusiast has spoken of his despair after his rare Ford Cortina - which he and his family had spent years restoring - was destroyed in a suspected arson attack.

Kevin Hebron's 1972 Ford Cortina GT 1600 automatic was one of several vehicles parked at a garage in Tunstall, near Catterick Garrison, which were set on fire in the early hours of Monday morning.

The vehicle had become a labour of love for Mr Hebron, 43, from Colburn, and his family who have spent many hours and lots of money restoring the vehicle after buying it and bringing it back from Essex around 12 years ago.

Mr Hebron said both he and his wife Valerie had cried after learning that the vehicle had been destroyed.

"I'm absolutely devastated - there's no a single thing that can be salvaged.

"People think it's just a car but it's been part of our lives for so long.

"Everybody has been involved in it."

Mr Hebron said that according to DVLA records the car was the only one of that model still in existence.

"This makes it even worse - it was virtually irreplaceable."

Mr Hebron's sons Michael Hebron and Dan Bassett, and daughter Rebekah Hunter, have all helped to restore the vehicle, even getting the vehicle sprayed without their dad's knowledge as a surprise.

The fire service and police are still investigating the cause of the blaze, although Michael Hebron believes it was deliberate.

He said: "The car was taken from us by someone that really couldn't of cared less about what it might of meant to the owner.

"All that effort and hard work went up in a ball of flames and now my dad and hero are left with nothing."

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that firefighters from Colburn and Richmond were sent out just after 2.30am on Monday morning.

Three cars, two trailers and a pile of tyres were damaged in the blaze.

The cause is not yet known although an investigation is underway.

North Yorkshire Police said it was called to the scene at 3.20am on Monday by the fire service.

A spokesman added: "The fire was extinguished by 4.20am, but a number of vehicles and trailers were damaged or destroyed. Officers attended and an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway."

Anyone with information on the fire should call North Yorkshire Police on 101.