A FAMILY had a lucky escape when a car crashed into their house following a police pursuit.

The black Mercedes came off the road in Ayresome Green Lane in Middlesbrough, opposite Archibald Primary School, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

VIDEO: Banares Hussain

It smashed through road railings and a garden wall before ploughing into a living room window.

Husband and wife Francis and Sylvia Sayer were asleep elsewhere in the house and escaped uninjured.

Mrs Sayers said: “It could have been fatal if we were downstairs at the time. The sofa where I sit is right in the window. Now it’s in the front garden in bits.”

Two men in the Mercedes were taken to hospital for treatment after being freed by firefighters.

A 29-year-old man and 26-year-old man have subsequently been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently in police custody.

Police closed the road at the scene of the accident, at about 1.20am, before later re-opening it to traffic.

One eyewitness said: “The police were all over with several vehicles in attendance. A crane was also brought in to remove the crashed car.”

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: “An on-duty police officer in a patrol vehicle spotted the Mercedes very briefly before the crash and attempted to follow the vehicle with lights and sirens on.

“As part of understanding of the circumstances that led to the crash, this element of the incident is being looked at by senior officers.

“The matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.”