SHOCKED residents of Plas Derwen found themselves at the centre of a drama on Saturday afternoon as fire crews from Abergavenny battled to control two blazing vehicles at the entrance to the Monmouth Road estate.

Shocked eye witnesses report hearing loud bangs as the cars’ petrol tanks exploded threatening to catch a nearby hedge ablaze.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 4.30pm on Saturday by concerned residents.

“A driver was made aware of smoke coming from his vehicle and pulled off the road onto Plas Derwen Way,” said a fire service spokesman.

“The fire which originated from the vehicle then caused a second vehicle to catch fire, severely damaging both cars.”

Eye witnesses say that smoke and flames were coming from the original vehicle - a Mercedes E Class -  when it pulled off Monmouth Road and into the estate.

“Rather than stopping just off the junction or pulling into the Plas Derwen pub car park, the car parked up just feet away from a parked car, which very quickly caught fire. There was a huge blaze and for a while it looked as if the hedge next to the cars would go up as well.”

“Fortunately everyone got out of the car safety - in addition to the driver it looked as if there were a couple of children and a teenager,” said the shocked witness.

It is understood that the owner of the second vehicle had parked on the road while away on holiday and has not yet been been made aware that his car has been completely destroyed.