A PREGNANT mum has spoken of her terror at being the victim of arsonists.

Twenty-two-year-old Nadia Spear's lives in a first-floor flat, in Main Street, Barry, with her daughter Emily, 16 months.

The empty flat next door to hers was set alight early on Sunday morning.

Police believe she was the victim of an arson attack aimed at the nearby property.

The shaken mother told the News: "I smelled smoke when I got up at about 9am.

But because a fire had started in a building next to me on Friday, I thought it was from then."

Nadia, who is two months pregnant, explained how a few days earlier, builders working at the launderette had sent sparks flying into a vent, which caught alight.

This resulted in smoke pouring into her flat after the fire service had extinguished the blaze.

But as the morning went on, the smell got worse and Nadia became increasingly concerned.

She said: "About 10.30am, I noticed black soot around my nose and Emily's. Looking downstairs, I saw thick smoke filling the hall."

She called the fire brigade and got Emily outside.

She added: "After the fire service and police arrived, I drove my daughter straight to the University Hospital of Wales in the Heath, where we were treated for smoke inhalation.

"I was terrified. I didn't know where the smoke was coming from until I got out, and then I could see the flat below me had black smoke billowing out of the door."

A police investigation has now been launched as officers search for the arsonists.

A spokesman said: "We believe that a person or persons entered the ground floor flat and deliberately set it alight sometime on Sunday morning.

"The fire was small and only smouldering when the Fire Service arrived, but there was an extensive amount of smoke.

"We are now appealing for witnesses in relation to this incident, which could quite easily have proved fatal."

If anyone noticed someone acting suspiciously or knows the identity of those involved, they should contact DS Huw Thomas on Barry (01446) 731632.