Car smashes into home
An out-of-control car smashed into the side of a home in the Black Country in the early hours, narrowly missing a man asleep in a chair.
Homeowner Nigel Astley escaped injury when a BMW crashed through the wall of his living room in St Peters Road, Netherton, knocking out the fire and sparking a gas alert.
His mother Patricia, aged 67, was upstairs in bed.
Firefighters said six homes had to be evacuated until engineers gave the all clear for residents to return to their homes after 45 minutes out in the cold.
These pictures show the devastation which was wreaked when the car hit the home.
Mr Astley, a 43-year-old warehouseman, had been out for a drink at the White Swan pub in Baptist End Road before returning home and falling asleep in front of the television shortly before 2am on Saturday.
The father-of-one, whose 13-year-old son Matthew Greenfield was staying with his mother at the time, said: "I was woken up by a big bang, I jumped out of my chair.
"I didn't know what had happened, then I realised there was a massive hole in my house.
"It was an incredible shock – I was in the chair just by it, I don't know how it missed me."
The car bounced back onto the grass outside, leaving a gaping hole in Mr Astley's home. The hole was temporarily boarded up a few hours later until building work can be arranged.
Tyre tracks were still clearly visible in the grass the day after the smash, which happened at around 3am on Saturday.
West Midlands Police spokesman Zoe Coward said an arrest had been made in connection with the incidient.
She said: "The driver of the vehicle left the scene. An arrest has been made in connection with this incident."
