A mother and daughter had a lucky escape just minutes before the car they were in was destroyed by fire.

Stef Thorne, 42, was driving home to Sutton with her daughter Mollie, 11, on Sunday afternoon after a trip to the cinema in Norwich.

She was driving her SEAT Toledo car, which has a diesel engine, and had to keep stopping and starting in Norwich Road in Wroxham due to the traffic. 

Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service at the scene of the fireNorfolk Fire & Rescue Service at the scene of the fire (Image: Stef Thorne)

She noticed some smoke by the wheel but thought it was just the clutch "burning out a bit over the railway bridge".

Mrs Thorne said: "I was planning to pull into the Jet garage just up the road but the car then cut out and wouldn't start again - there were no warning lights.

"A man then pulled in front of me and told us to get out as the car was on fire - he was an absolute angel because I had no idea."

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They quickly exited the vehicle and the whole thing was up in flames in about two minutes. 

Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service sent crews from Wroxham and Sprowston at 12.48pm.

They temporarily closed the road and used hose reels to extinguish the blaze, with the incident over at 1.13pm. 

The car was completely destroyedThe car was destroyed in the blaze (Image: Stef Thorne)

Mrs Thorne, who works for Norfolk County Council, has thanked the man, believed to be called Kevin.

"I am so grateful to him that he took the time to stop as no one else did," she added. 

"I can't get it out of my head that other people drove past and saw two people in a car that had flames coming out and said nothing.

"Both of us are really shaken up."

Officers from Norfolk Constabulary took the pair home to Sutton.