A CAR burst into flames at Tatton Park last week, just after its driver had finished her morning commute.

Clare Howard was left shocked on April 11 after her 64-plate Corsa suddenly erupted as she was walking into work.

She had completed her daily commute from Middlewich to Knutsford and was unaware of the situation as she walked away from her vehicle until a colleague shouted to her.

The fire at Tatton Park was so extreme that it left the front end of the car melted away, with all the inside contents incinerated as well.

The car had been recalled three times since it was bought in 2015, each time for an electronic vacuum pump issue, but it was deemed safe by Vauxhall in January 2017.

Clare, a business support supervisor, said: “It was upsetting, but in a way it’s a good thing that the fire occurred where it did.

“This could have happened anywhere I’d taken it, on my driveway where my husband’s car is and even on the motorway, and what would I have done at that point?”

Clare had been in dispute with Vauxhall over a settlement, with the latter only recently accepting liability for the damage.

The company refused to reimburse Clare for the value of the car, and will only give her the money for the contents.

As well as leaving the car out of use, the fire also caused significant damage to the cobbles and hedge of her workplace, but Clare is thankful they have not claimed.

The mother-of-one said: “I wish to move on from this as quickly as possible so I can move on.

“I just want to be able to get back a car that’s mine so I can have that sense of normality.

“It was lovely of work to be so kind about the situation and especially one of my colleagues whose own car was next to mine at the time.

“I also would like to raise awareness of the problem because I know people in the area have the same car as I do, and god forbid if it happened to them.”

The affected car, a 1.4l turbo black edition D, is one of a model that has been blighted with controversy after they were among 2,767 Corsas recalled by Vauxhall in November 2016.