Vauxhall says it needs better access to information on vehicle fires, following new reports of Corsas catching fire and previous issues with Zafira models.

BBC's Watchdog last night reported on two Corsa D models that caught fire, following water leak to a fuel pump.

The issues follow hundreds of fires in the brand's Zafira B people carrier.

Vauxhall says manufacturers frequently hear of fires first through the media.

It said in a statement: "We found with Zafira B, for example, that many cases only emerged after media reports in October 2015. Some of these dated back several years.

"Better access to vehicle fire data could help manufacturers with early detection of safety issues. We are therefore working through our Industry body to understand how manufacturers can gain access to data in order to build a more complete picture of potential issues."

The company recalled 2,767 1.4-litre turbo Corsas in April to deal with the issue.

"Earlier this year we identified a potential fire related issue with a specific Corsa D variant equipped with the 1.4 Turbo petrol engine.  

“Nine cases had previously been reported to us, which we investigated. Two of these cases had resulted in a fire. 

“A safety recall to address this issue was initiated in April 2016 for the 2,767 vehicles affected," Vauxhall said.

700,000 Corsa D's were sold in the UK between 2006 and 2014.

> Watchdog featuring the Corsa fires