The 52-year-old lives in a quiet unit complex in West Tamworth, and had her once peaceful life turned upside down when her ute was stolen in the early hours of May 2.

Ms Harrison had fallen asleep on the lounge after a late drive from Quirindi, and just a few hours later, she woke to find police at her doorstep alerting her to the news her car had been set alight on Showground Road.

"You should be able to be in your own home. I'm not in a high-crime area, the police and locksmith said they never have to come down this way," she told the Leader.

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It's not an uncommon story in Tamworth, where up to 10 burnt-out cars have been reported in the last three months.

Firefighters were called to a car fire on Green Street in West Tamworth just four days ago, Tamworth Fire and Rescue NSW duty commander Peter Nugent said.

"Even one stolen car getting burnt out is one too many," he said.

Reports of blackened cars dotted across the city have become a "very sad" reminder that it's up to the public to keep their own belongings safe, Tamworth Crime Prevention Working Group chair Russell Webb said.

"Keeping an eye on personal security is one of the things that can really make a difference to this. If a crook can't find the keys to a car, it makes it a lot harder for them to pinch that car," he said.

"If the keys are left in it, or the car is unlocked, or the keys are somewhere accessible, people have a chance of stealing them."

Mr Webb acknowledged that the torched cars were an eyesore, but that it took time for Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) contractors to remove them.

After a torched car or abandoned car is reported, the council's compliance manager Ross Briggs said council rangers attempt to find the last registered owner and contact them to have the car removed.

"If not, staff arrange for the vehicle to be removed for disposal. This can take time as identifying details such as number plates or vehicle identification numbers can be lost in the fires. This can take up to two weeks," Mr Briggs said.

As for Ms Harrison, she now has her outside lights on every night and a new doorbell system with a camera that picks up movement nearby.

"After it happened the first step was trying to keep things going work-wise, and get myself together, and I ended up having a really big spike in blood pressure that's taken a week or two to get under control," she said.

"There was a lot going on by the time you cancel things and change things and trying to keep working and trying to replace stuff."

She said it wasn't a crime fuelled by the thought of money, because after the incident, her phone was tracked to an address on Raglan Street and her wallet was found by police on White Street with all her cards still inside.

Reports of fire-damaged or abandoned cars can be made on the MyTRC app.

*Name has been changed.

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