YOUTHS who drove a car into a garden wall will not face prosecution - despite being caught by police as they fled the scene.

The wall surrounding Gary and Judith Bowey's house was destroyed after a white Ford Fiesta crashed into it at 7am on a Sunday morning.

Four youths got out of the vehicle and ran off but police officers gave chase and caught three of them.

Now Mr and Mrs Bowey, of Norton, Stockton, have been told that because none of the three have admitted driving the car, none can be charged.

"I think it is totally unacceptable," said Mr Bowey, 44.

"An officer told me they were breathalysed and were over the limit. They were all drunk and apparently they had been driving about the estate in it.

"But the police have been largely uninterested. I tried to approach the police on four or five occasions. I kept getting told there was a different officer dealing with the case.

"Eventually I was told there was probably going to be no charges because of a lack of evidence."

The crash, on July 7, caused £1,800 worth of damage to the wall and garden, but the couple say they are more concerned that the culprits escaped prosecution.

"What bothers me is why they can't be charged with lesser offences. The police are more or less saying 'let them run wild'," said Mr Bowey.

"They have not found the driver and the youths won't tell the police who the driver was. So they have got away with it. No one has been brought to book."

Mr Bowey said he would like to take a civil action against the youths but cannot because police won't reveal their identities. A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said that officers had attended the incident and questioned three youths who were 150 yards from the scene.

She said: "None admitted driving the vehicle, there were no witnesses and the driver could not be identified so that is why there has been no further action."