Car inferno investigated

Forensic examinations of a car are continuing to establish how it burst into flames with the driver inside in Lancashire.

On Friday Lancashire Police released the name of the driver, whose body was found close to the car after he managed to crawl out of the burning vehicle.

Michael Pilkington, a 32-year-old father of two, lived in the Chorley area. His body was found close to the M61 motorway on Thursday.

Detectives have been interviewing witnesses who saw Mr Pilkington's Rover 214 on fire on Moss Lane in nearby Whittle-le-Woods, at about 0620 BST.

'Driver smoking?'

Police sealed off the area while forensic examinations were carried out.

On Thursday acting detective superintendent Ian Kennedy said: "[The car] appears to have caught fire very quickly and been well ablaze when the witnesses first arrived here.

"We want to try to establish what was in the car and things like whether the man was a smoker - could there have been an innocent reason for the fire starting?"

Police are still urging anyone who saw the car before the fire, or saw the blaze, to contact them.