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

Clare Howard was left shocked on April 11 after her 64-plate Vauxhall 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 melted the front end of the car, incinerating the inside contents as well.

Clare says 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 at Cheshire East Council, stationed at Tatton Park, 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 says she has been in dispute with Vauxhall over a settlement since the incident.

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.

“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.”

The car, a 1.4l turbo black edition D, is one of a models that has been involved in controversy after it was among 2,767 Corsas recalled by Vauxhall in November 2016.

A spokesman for Vauxhall said: "I can confirm that Vauxhall is currently dealing directly with the customer, and can therefore make no further comment at the present time."