A MOTHER has spoken of her terror after she believes her family was deliberately targeted by arsonists.

Asma Khatun and her four children were woken by a police officer knocking on their door telling them a fire had been started at the back of their home in Boundary Road, Currock, Carlisle.

Arsonists had set two plastic wheelie bins on fire behind their garage and smoke began to pour into the property.

After being alerted to the danger and discovering the smoke the family was told to immediately leave the house for their own safety.

Police are investigating the incident, which happened at about 10pm on Friday.

The attack has left the whole family shaken.

“We were frightened,” said Asma. “If we had left [the fire] then you don’t know what would’ve happened.

“I’m very thankful to the police officer because we were in bed. If the fire had got in we would’ve been burned. It would’ve definitely come in the house if the door wasn’t shut.

“We didn’t know anything about it, we only found out when the police officer turned up and knocked on the door.”

The family members had just made their way to bed when the incident happened.

Asma’s husband Liakoth Ali Khondoker, a taxi driver in the city, rushed home from work to be with his wife and children – 17-year-old Mamon, Suhana, 16, and 11-year-old twins Hassan and Hussain – after being told of what had happened.

Asma believes that her family could have been specifically targeted as their bins were the only ones torched by the criminals on the night.

The couple, who used to run the Lazeez takeaway in Blackwell Road, have previously been on the receiving end of racially-motivated crimes and have had hate mail sent to their home.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 and ask for PC 2341 Jenkin.