CHRIS Packham has revealed how hooded thugs blew up a car outside his home causing the gates to set alight in a terrifying arson attack.

       The BBC Springwatch presenter's remote country house in Hampshire's New Forest was targetted in the early hours of Friday morning as shocking pictures show a huge fireball ravaging his gates.

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       Hooded thugs blew up a car outside his home Credit: Solent 4

       The 60-year-old presenter has branded the attack as 'vicious and cowardly' Credit: Getty

       In a video shared on Twitter, the 60-year-old - who has received death threats in the past for his animal activism - raised the prospect of his opponents one day killing him.

       Describing the incident, he said: "So on Thursday night/Friday morning, 12.30am, two hoodied and masked men drove a vehicle right up to my gate and set it on fire.

       "They were fully aware of the CCTV that was in place they took great pains to hide themselves. The car exploded and was rapidly and efficiently dealt with by HFR and the police were in attendance.

       "As ever they did a fantastic job but not before it had caused extensive damage to my property."

       Naturalist and broadcaster Packham described the scene outside his home as an "inferno".

       He told the Mirror: "The gate isn’t visible from the bedroom but of course when it exploded, it went off with a massive bang which woke me and the dogs up.

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       “It was an inferno. The neighbours called the fire brigade and they turned up and put it out."

       Packham branded the attack on the home that he shares with partner Charlotte Corney and step-daughter Megan as a "vicious, cowardly act" as he vowed to never give in to intimidation.

       "I will not be cowed, I will not buckle," Packham insisted.

       "I cannot and will not let your intimidation sway me from my course."

       Packham - who in the past has had dead animals strung up at the gates of his home - said he was frustrated at the lack of action taken against his trolls.

       "I wonder about the internet trolls because they get away with it," he said.

       'RELENTLESS ABUSE'

       "Despite working effectively with the police, the law as it stands means I am unable to take any action against this form of harassment.

       "But it is hate crime. There's no ambiguity about that. It's a little unfair that when black footballers receive unwarranted and appalling hate crime the issue can be dealt with and that's great of course and I support that fully.

       "But when environmentalists like myself receive similarly hateful torrents of relentless abuse nothing can be done about it. Because ultimately it comes at a cost.

       "Perhaps the cost was having my gate burnt down causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. And of course it's not the first action that we have seen here. Dead animals are a frequent occurrence.

       "But now it's escalated because they've taken to damaging that property and I wonder where it's going. I mean what happens next? Do they going to burn the house down, are they going to beat up my step-daughter? Are they going to cut the brake lines on my partner's car?

       "Or do they come for me directly? Are they going to kill me at some point? I think it's a fair question."

       The telly presenter has seen dead animals tied up outside his home on multiple occasions including two crows after he campaigned against shooting the "pest birds".

       Another incident saw a dead fox dumped outside his home just days after he criticised the Boxing Day hunts.

       Packham has even received death threats before - including a chilling handwritten letter that read: "We want you dead".

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       Damage to the presenter's gates at his New Forest home Credit: Solent 4

       Dead animals have been strung up outside his home multiple times Credit: PA:Press Association We pay for your stories!

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