Police in Dundee yesterday launched a major investigation into a firebomb attack in West Kirkton.

The incident happened on Saturday evening and it is believed the house concerned was the family home of a man in jail who had connections to an outlawed loyalist group.

Officers closed a section of Lauderdale Avenue after a “lit object”— thought to be some sort of petrol bomb, although police would not confirm this—smashed through the window of a house in the street, setting fire to the front of the building.

A section of nearby Annandale Avenue was also cordoned off.

The occupiers of the house were said to have been in the living-room when the object was thrown and, although left shaken, escaped unscathed.

Police yesterday confirmed that the object was not a firework but declined to comment further on the nature of the device.

Although no one was injured in the incident police are treating it seriously, given the possible risk to life.

The incident occurred at around 10.40 pm.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze using a hosereel.

Police immediately erected a tent around the badly-damaged exterior of the two-storey semi-detached house and by yesterday had set up an exclusion zone within a 100-yard radius of the address, allowing access for residents only.

The heavy police presence in the quiet residential area continued throughout yesterday afternoon, and a temporary incident room was established nearby while detectives and officers began door-to-door inquiries and made sweeps of the surrounding streets for clues.

“All we are in a position to say at the moment is that we are treating this incident as being very serious given its nature and its potential risks,” said a police spokesman.

It is believed a number of people may have been in Lauderdale Avenue at the time and anyone who has any information regarding this incident is asked to contact the police.