An abandoned car in flames was spotted by staff at a control room monitoring traffic on Manchester Road this morning.

A crew from Fairweather Green was called to the silver Subaru fire at 5.05am.

A station spokesman said the back wheel on the driver’s side of the car had come away and the engine and interior were badly damaged.

The car was in the middle lane of Manchester Road, heading out of the city centre.

Police calmed traffic and firefighters were at the scene for about 40 minutes.

A fire station spokesman said: “The control room had seen the car on cameras on Manchester Road and they send police out. It’s a bit like Big Brother watching, but if they see someone running away from something like that, they may be able to identify them.”