A car caught light on a busy trunk road after the driver forgot to remove an insulating blanket from the engine.

The driver, of Harwich, was on the A120 at Ramsey when a blanket he put on his engine overnight to keep it warm set on fire.

He forgot to take the blanket out from under the bonnet before driving off, causing the Rover to burst into flames at 6.15am yesterday.

Dovercourt firefighters fought the blaze and said the man had a "very lucky escape."

Sub-officer Jason Whitnell warned other drivers not to do the same.

He said: "He put the blanket over the engine to stop it getting cold. But when he got up in the morning, he forgot to take the blanket out."

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Published Tuesday, December 6, 2005

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