Residents in a quiet Darlington street have described their horror at a crash involving five cars following a police chase through the town last night (Saturday, May 26)

An Audi being pursued by the police collided with parked cars in Alwyn Road, causing a pile-up with one car perched precariously on the roof of another as others were shunted down the road.

Eyewitnesses described seeing the driver get out and try to hide under a car, before running away from the police. He was swiftly caught and arrested near the scene. Fortunately, there were no injuries. The Northern Echo:

Joe Moore: "We were just sat on the couch at about 10.30pm and heard all the commotion and looked out of the window.

"It was quite surreal to see a car propped up outside your property.

"The guy who crashed got out of his car and crawled under the one on its side and then ran down the street, obviously trying to get away. The police were there pretty fast and had him in seconds."

Mr Moore said he understood there had been a car chase through Darlington.The Northern Echo:

He said: "There was a car that made off from the police somewhere. They were chasing him down Bowman Street, and then crossed Longfield Road and into Alwyn Road. 

"The Audi, which was trying to get away from the police crashed into a dark Hyundai pushing it onto the roof of a BMW.

The BWM in turn was pushed into a white car which then shunted into a BMW belonging to Mr Moore. The Northern Echo:

Mr Moore said: "I understand there are other people who saw the chase in different parts of the town. If someone was walking there they would have been dead."

Patrol cars converged on the scene, as police cordoned off the road while they dealt with the incident.

A man was seen led away in handcuffs. 

The Northern Echo: Police lead a man away in handcuffs Police lead a man away in handcuffs (Image: Contributor)

The scene has been cleared, with debris still visible on the road this morning (Sunday). The Northern Echo:

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The Northern Echo:

Durham Police said earlier: "We are currently dealing with a road traffic collision on Alwyn Road in Darlington.

"Five vehicles have been damaged but thankfully, nobody was hurt in the incident.

"The road is closed in both directions until the vehicles have been recovered."

We have contacted Durham Police for further information. The Northern Echo: The scene in Alwyn Road, Darlington, on Sunday morningThe scene in Alwyn Road, Darlington, on Sunday morning (Image: Sarah Caldecott)