THIEVES who smashed a car into a couple’s historic home threatened to set fire to it in front of them.

The owners of the Grade II listed Priory Lodge, on Allerton Road, heard a screech of wheels before the dark Volvo slammed into their porch at high speed at 10.45pm on Monday.

Gang members fled from this car to escape with their accomplices in a black Audi, which had been stolen moments before in a burglary nearby.

The owner of the house, who did not wish to be named, said: “There was a screech as though they were racing, then there was a crescendo and a bang, it was a massive noise – the whole house shook.

“This is not the first time it has happened. I jumped out and four men were legging it, but I looked one in the eye – it seemed like everything was going in slow motion.

“One said to the other ‘set fire to the car’. If we had been asleep, this could have been a different story.

“There are a lot of car thefts in the area and we’ve found out it was a couple nearby who had a high-powered Audi stolen.

“One driver has lost control, smashed into our house and they all got away in the Audi.”