Four bodies found on car back seat after blaze

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Police last night confirmed that the four bodies found huddled on the back seat of a blazing car were of a man and three small children, all believed to be girls, writes Celia Hall. An Asian family has reported a father and three daughters missing.

Detective Superintendent Harry Shepherd said a post-mortem examination would take time to complete and the cause of death was not known. 'We have discovered a family in Nottingham who have reported missing a man and three children . . . All I can say about this is that it was a tragic incident.'

However, Det Supt Shepherd said that he had 'not fully connected the missing people with the bodies from the motor car'.

A passer-by discovered the four-door saloon on fire at the rear of the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierrepont, near Nottingham. Fire crews were on the scene within minutes, but the people inside the car were dead.

Police said the blazing vehicle was spotted in a lay-by off an isolated country lane on Thursday night. The lonely spot is a favourite parking-place for water-skiers and windsurfers using the nearby Olympic-standard course.

Officers are appealing for the driver or passengers of a car which was seen driving along the slip road at about the same time as the incident to come forward.