RESIDENTS living in a street where a car crashed through the side of a house have described being woken up in the early hours of the morning by what they thought was an aircraft.

Terrified neighbours in Rivelin Way pulled on their dressing gowns and rushed out into the street when the white VW Golf R – the fastest model available – ploughed through the brickwork and into the living room.

A man inside the home suffered serious leg injuries and was taken to Leeds General Infirmary, along with the three people in the car.

One man, believed to be the driver, was arrested at the scene.

A woman and teenage boy were also inside the home at the time and were not injured.

The car was still embedded inside the home on Monday morning as police stood guard nearby and amazed passers-by looked on.

Childminder Deb McStay, 43, was in bed when the driver lost control and hit the home with a sickening bang.

She said: “I woke up when I heard the impact because it sounded like a jet was coming down the road.

“We were all stood waiting for the emergency services and that’s when it was scary because it started to catch fire.

“It was a while before the fire started, but it was smoking and smoking, then there was a smell in the air and we knew a fire was going to start.

“It was absolutely horrible. It was very dark and no one was quite sure what had happened at first, until it burst into flames."

Victoria Stainforth, 34, was woken up by what she described as “a screeching and loud bang” at 1.15am.

She said: “It was horrible.

“I came out and I heard screaming and shouting from the car.

“There was already people in the street pulling people out of the car and it wasn’t nice.

“There wasn’t much we could do to help and the fire didn’t start in the car until later on."

Police are still appealing for witnesses and anyone who saw the car in the moments leading up to the crash as it travelled along Longwood Road/Rivelin Way, or elsewhere in the area.

  • If you have any information that could help police, call 101, select option two and ask for Hamish Halloway.
  • You can also email Traffic Sergeant Halloway at Hamish.Halloway@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.
  • Quote number 12170157578 when sharing information.