Man 'doused with accelerant and set on fire'

Image source, Google Maps

Image caption, A 48-year-old man was found with serious burns in Waverley

A man was doused in an accelerant and set on fire after opening the front door of his home in Lancashire, police have said.

Detectives have launched an attempted murder inquiry after a 48-year-old was found with serious burns at 01:00 BST at a property in Waverley, Skelmersdale.

The victim is in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

Officers are treating the incident as a "targeted" attack.

Det Ch Insp Pauline Stables, who described the incident as "horrific", said there are currently extra patrols in the area.

"While we are trying to establish a motive for what has happened, we do believe that the incident was targeted. I would like to stress that I don't believe there is any threat to the wider community at this time," she added.