A CAR was found burnt out at a park in Newton Aycliffe this morning.

Local residents woke to find the wreckage of a Ford Focus abandoned in the centre of a bike track area off Woodham Way.

The area has been cordoned off until the vehicle is removed.

A dog walker said: "I've been walking my dogs at this park for 15 years and have never seen anything like this.

"The bike ramps are well used by local children and it's a shame that they're out of use for now until the car's been taken away.

"It's just not a nice thing to wake up to. You can see tyre marks in the grass so the car was obviously driven over the park before somebody's set it on fire here.

"Hopefully somebody knows who's responsible and comes forward."

A local resident added: "We could smell burning last night but didn't think anything of it. We can see the park from our home but we can't see the bike tracks. It's worrying to think that this has happened so close to our home when we were in bed.

"What if the fire had caught the trees?"

Durham Police have been contacted for a statement.