Vauxhall had a “reckless disregard for safety” by letting people drive its Zafira cars which it knew were unsafe and could catch fire, says damning parliamentary report.

The car maker has come under attack from the Transport Select Committee about its actions following a spate of fires in 2015 involving the Zafira B model people-carriers.

The cars burst into flames because of problems in their heating and ventilation systems but MPs said Vauxhall was “too slow to begin an investigation, too slow to address the causes and too slow to alert drivers of real safety concerns. Drivers and their families were needlessly put at risk.”

Louise Ellman, chairman of the committee, added Vauxhall was also too quick to blame the fires on “improper and unauthorised repairs”.

“Vehicle fires can be terrifying,” she said. “Vauxhall does not appear to have grasped the seriousness of the problem, placing the blame on third parties.”