A NEWPORT mum says she was shocked to find a fire-damaged car while walking her young children to school. 

Emma Stephens, 34, of Mendalgief Road in Newport, was walking her children to school when she saw the car.  

At around 8.35am on Friday October 11, Emma took a photograph which shows the extensive fire damage. 

The image shows the hood of the engine open and the metal inside extensively damaged beyond repair. 

In a post on Facebook, she said: “Walking the kiddos to school this morning to be greeted by this! Right close to a main pathway to school at Pill Mill Park.” 

Emma, who has lived in the area for around 12 years, told the Argus: “The car and grass was burned out - it looked terrible. 

“It was almost blocking the main pathway to the school.” 

She told the Argus her children were very confused when they saw the car and were asking her ‘all sorts of questions’. 

“It was still there on Friday afternoon when I went to pick my children up from school at the end of the day,” she added. 

Emma said she thinks the fire must have taken place the evening before as the car wasn’t there when she walked through the park the day before. 

She explained that although she hasn’t seen anything similar recently, a couple of years ago she saw a car on fire in the same park. 

“I have seen other incidents over the years, and this would be the third time, but not recently.  

“A couple of years back a car had crashed into a tree and was on fire. Sometimes the kids will drive through the park and set them on fire.” 

The mother-of-three said incidents like these make her feel weary walking through the park with her young children.  

“I always worry. It is a nice-looking area most of the time, but it’s when it is in the evening and I’m picking up my kids.  

“Just the other day, I saw someone riding one of their motorbikes. The kids got scared because they were very loud.”