A mum-of-two says she’s lucky to be alive after an arson attack on her car spread to her home as she slept.

Paula Bentley, 58, has a downstairs bedroom and sleeps with earplugs and slept through the explosion as her car turned into a fireball just feet away from her bed.

Paula’s neighbour tried to alert her to the fire but when he got no response he thought she wasn’t in.

Paula told Huddersfield Hub how she eventually awoke to a “slight bang” and saw “flickering like car indicators” which turned out to be huge flames engulfing her car.

The neighbour tried to tackle the fire and Paula fled the house but in the 35 minutes it took firefighters to arrive, the flames had spread to a shed and summerhouse and burned out the windows in her lounge.

The drama happened in isolated Bank Lane, Denby Dale, just after 4am on Monday April 27.

Paula’s recently-bought £10,000 Skoda Fabia was gutted and there was fire damage to the lounge and smoke damage to the rest of the two-bedroomed ‘upside down’ detached cottage.

The house is uninhabitable and Paula is ‘sofa surfing’ with friends until she can sort out the insurance.

“I can’t believe this has happened to me,” said Paula. “It’s just horrific. I’m a strong, independent woman but if this had happened to a little old lady I dread to think what would have happened.

“I am quite a strong person but it is breaking me and I am going through all the emotions. There’s just no help and support.”

Paula said the fire brigade and police were great on the night and in the immediate aftermath.

Scenes of crime officers attended and Paula says there was clear evidence of an arson attack.

The lid of a petrol can was found nearby, it appeared rags had been stuffed up the car exhaust and there were paper towels like those used in petrol stations left close by.

Paula, who has only recently returned from the Middle East where she had been living with her teacher husband James, said: “I so wanted it to be an electrical fault with the car but it’s clearly an arson attack.

“There’s just no reason for us to be targeted,” said Paula. “I only returned from the Middle East six weeks ago and we’ve just been doing up the house.

“We have no enemies, we’re just ordinary, boring people.”

While the police were great in the immediate aftermath, Paula had heard nothing more by Friday.

She left two messages and had a voice call via 101 but still no-one from CID had been in touch.

Paula was shocked that something so serious had not been made public and she wanted those responsible to know they’d targeted the wrong address.

“It’s mistaken identity and I want to get that out there,” said Paula. “I can’t believe no-one knows about it.

“I put it on Facebook and people didn’t seem to believe it had happened.

“The police were great on the night but since then nothing. If I had died it would have been a murder inquiry, and that’s not me being over-dramatic. That’s what could have happened.

“I’m a woman on my own and I can’t live in my house at the moment but even if I get it cleaned up and replace the car who’s to say this won’t happen again?

“I need some reassurance from the police about what they are doing and about whether I am safe.”

Paula said the couple had owned the house since 2019 and no-one else had lived there while they were overseas. Her husband will be returning to the UK in July.

Paula stressed there was nothing ‘sinister’ in the Middle East connection that meant they might be targets and also joked that her husband had a sign outside the house that read: “Leeds United fans live here!”

Paula is dealing with the house and car insurance and says the house will need a “massive clean up job.”

She added: “Somebody has done this as a warning to someone – but it’s not us. I want to get the message out to them that they’ve got the wrong house.”

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said officers were investigating and were working with the fire service to “establish the cause of the fire.”

The spokesman added: “No injuries were reported but significant damage was caused to the vehicle and the side of the property.

“Local neighbourhood officers are aware and will provide high visibility reassurance in the area.”

Anyone who witnessed the fire or has information is asked to contact police via 101 or use the live chat facility at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat quoting reference 13260235487.