Flats cleared after car hits wall

A three-storey block of flats in Dudley had to be evacuated after a car crashed into the front of the building leaving two women needing medical treatment.

The driver was trapped in her Kia car for 45 minutes after the smash in Salop Street at around 10pm last night.

The 41-year-old woman was cut free by firefighters and specialist rescuers and taken to hospital for treatment for head, pelvic and leg injuries.

Click on the image on the right to see more pictures from the scene

Residents say an 85-year-old woman living in the ground floor flat at the time was thrown across her living room as the car hit the building.

She was treated at the scene for the effects of shock and minor injuries and was left in the care of her family.

The car left a hole in the brickwork underneath the window of the flat.

Around a dozen residents were evacuated from the flats due to safety fears and were taken to the nearby pub The Struggling Man while the building was assessed by structural engineers. They were able to return to their homes at midnight. Salop Street and Dibdale Road were closed for around six hours while police investigated the scene.

Resident Matt Hall, aged 20, said he dashed outside when he heard a "terrific bang" to find the car embedded in the wall and smoke pouring out.

"It looked really bad. We tried to get inside the car to help the woman but we struggled. Everyone was told to get out of the flats as quick as possible. People must have heard the bang from The Struggling Man pub and rushed across to try to help," he said.

Firefighter Andrew Tite, from Dudley Fire Station, said: "We had to cut away at the side and the top to try to release the woman. We had to call in a specialist technical rescue team to help remove the car while ensuring the window of the flat didn't collapse."

Pictures courtesy of West Midlands Fire Service