Sleaford journalist’s Mercedes that used to belong to Dubai royalty bursts into flames while he is driving

Joseph Hayat, who has recently begun work as a journalist for ITV’s Border and Tyne Tees news, had been visiting family in West Yorkshire on April 11 when he noticed smoke pouring out of the dashboard near the windscreen.

Luckily Mr Hayat was alone in the Mercedes, which happened to be a special edition limousine which he had bought three years ago after being last owned by the Royal family of Dubai for their diplomats.

Joseph said the car had only just been given a clean bill of health in a service by a dealership.

He said: “I had popped to Tesco in Batley for a few items, turned on the ignition to leave and there was a smell like burning plastic. I opened the window and then smoke came into the cabin as I was leaving the car park, so I pulled over in the entrance to the petrol station, stopped the car and got out.

“I could see flames coming out of the dashboard and called 999. The fire service were there in minutes but it was completely ablaze.”

Joseph said: “I was not so much scared as surprised, as there had been no issues with the car and that shocked me. I was just grateful I got out when I did - what would have happened if I had been travelling at speed?”

Firefighters dealt with the flames and advised him if he had stopped a little nearer to the pumps or over the underground fuel store it could have been fatal. The fire and smoke was so intense that locals thought the whole petrol station had erupted.

Joseph does not know how it started but presumes it may have been an electrical fault, instead choosing to be grateful for escaping with his life. “I don’t smoke and was not using the 12V adapter to charge anything. It just started deep inside the dashboard next to the windscreen,” he said.

“My wife and daughter had been travelling with me just prior to this, but thankfully were not with me at the time.”

He said he had not yet started his new job, having previously worked for RT news, TRT World and British Muslim TV channels, and so did not need the car urgently, which had up until the week before been used to help his dad Tarek with his local election campaign in Sleaford.

He said: “It had been a special car to me. With electric seats and privacy blind and half a metre longer than standard. I am now looking out for another ex-diplomatic or ambassador car.”