Caroline Parker is furious after a narrow escape when a car sold to her by a controversial Hampshire car dealer burst into flames

Caroline Parker thought she had bagged a bargain when she handed over £2,850 for a second hand Peugeot 307 which came complete with its full MOT.

Instead her new car could have killed her – along with 24-year-old daughter Kelly and nine-month old grandson Henley.

Caroline bought the car after responding to an internet ad posted by a Hampshire dealership run by Stan Rudgley.

As previously reported, Mr Rudgley is at the centre of a storm of complaints over faulty cars and bouncing refund cheques. He insists the car he sold to Caroline was fine when he sold it.

Caroline Parker, right, with daughter Kelly Laing and nine-month-old grandson Henley

But just days after buying it she began smelling burning while travelling along Woodmill Lane in Swaythling with Kelly and Henley.

Caroline said: “I looked at my rear view mirror and I saw smoke coming out of the back of the car. I thought there was a lot of smoke.

“Then the whole of the bonnet was billowing with smoke and I jumped out and flames were underneath the car.

“This man said ‘get away the car’s on fire’ – I said [to daughter Kelly] ‘grab the baby out of the baby seat.

“I thought the car was going to explode and it was going to spread to the cars. It was lucky I’d stopped in traffic because if I was going fast I would not have got out in time.”

Flames ripped through the car within seconds of their lucky escape, destroying the car completely.

The burnt-out shell of the vehicle

Hampshire Fire and Rescue has confirmed its crew were called to the incident on October 2 which happened in the midst of rush hour, causing a traffic snarl up and melting the road.

Caroline bought her car with a full MOT on September 18 from a company called Stratton Cars which is the trading name for Service 4 Life – a firm under the directorship of Mr Rudgley.

She says she contacted the firm about the car fire, but even though she had a two year warranty she says she was told to claim it on her insurance.

She now has no car to carry out her job as carer for elderly people, has been left paying a loan for more than £100 per month and faces increased insurance premiums.

And although she and her family escaped without injury, they have been left traumatised by their ordeal.

She said: “We could have died. It’s terrifying, really really scary that they can sell cars that are so obviously faulty and makes me so angry.

“The main thing is that it was putting my family in danger, it makes me feel sick to my stomach imagining what could have happened and I still can’t sleep because of it, the whole situation is really disturbing.”

The incident has been reported to Hampshire Trading Standards.

Stan Rudgley

When contacted Mr Rudgley insisted that the car had been sold with a brand new MOT, was fully serviced before it went out and his dealership was not contacted about any faults in the two weeks before the fire.

He also said that the warranty’s terms and conditions stipulate it only covered mechanical breakdown and the exact cause of the fire had been reported.