A family woke to find their home had been the target of a terrifying attack by arsonists.
Julia and Tom Welch were asleep in the bedroom of their home on Nash Road, in Lliswerry, Newport, when they smelled smoke coming into the house in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Looking out of the window, the pair discovered their front garden hedge well alight and spreading into their neighbour's garden.
Julia, 33, said they contacted the emergency services who arrived soon after to tackle the blaze.
The couple's three-year-old daughter was asleep in a front bedroom at the time.
"We were both asleep in the bedroom and my husband said he could smell smoke but he wasn't sure if he was dreaming," Julia said.
"He bolted out of bed and went to the window and saw the hedge on fire.
"He's a panel beater and spray painter so he has gas and things in his van.
"We have recently come back from our honeymoon so we were lucky. Our whole house could have gone up otherwise."
A spokeswoman for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to the incident at about 2.21am on Saturday.
A crew from Maindee attended the scene soon after and used a hose reel to extinguish the flames. The fire was out by 2.34am.
She said the fire is thought to have been started deliberately.
Julia said they had recently bought their house from an elderly couple, and a sign remained on their drive notifying people that the residents require 24-hour disabled access.
"For all they knew there were disabled people who could have been locked in there," Julia said.
"They think it is a laugh but it is very dangerous. My three-year-old daughter was in the front bedroom.
"Our guttering has melted and our windows are all smokey. It has caused such a lot of unnecessary damage."
Julia said she has been told of other similar incidents in the Lliswerry area of Newport over the past few months.
WalesOnline approached Gwent Police for a statement but they were unable to comment.
