A COUPLE told of their horror after a car lost control and crashed at high speed through a garden wall.

The blue Peugeot crashed with such force that it sent a concrete gatepost from two houses along flying through a window — wrecking the front room, in St Helens Road.

The footage, which was captured on CCTV cameras, shows the vehicle hitting one of three cars it smashed into as it was being pursued by officers.

It is understood the car was chased after driving off from a police patrol in Deane Church Lane at around 2am.

Residents said that the vehicle skidded to a halt further down the road.

Part of the road was cordoned off following the crash

One man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Gordhan Fatania and his wife Rama were asleep at the time of the crash.

He was awoken by the burglar alarm going off after it was triggered when the gatepost smashed into the house.

Car crashes into wall taking out a gate post which smashes through a window

Mr Fatania said: “I went downstairs thinking there was a burglar in the house, and I banged my toe on the post.

“I saw it and was shocked, I was thinking where did it come from, what is going on? Everything was destroyed.

“I normally sit here watching television and that night I went to bed early because I was tired, otherwise I would have been sat here and everything has been damaged.

“My wife was very shocked. I haven’t slept.”

The house is covered in dust and smashed glass on the floor.

Mr Fatania ran outside to see the emergency services and was told not to go back in the house in case it was structurally unsafe. He and his wife were taken in by neighbour Joyce Aldred for a few hours until the house was declared safe.

Mr Fatania’s Ford car was written off in the crash and is now being supported by his son Urmash, who lives in Harwood, in dealing with the aftermath of the crash.

Residents living on the road say they have seen a number of crashes in which their cars, which have been parked, written off a number of times. They said a car engine was in the middle of the road.

Mrs Aldred, whose front patio and gates were ripped out in the crash, said: “I heard a great big bang and I have triple glazed windows

“There have been crashes on this road, but I have never seen anything like the damage.

“I can’t believe people came out of the car.

“There were police and the helicopter was also out.

“I saw Gordhan and told him to come inside, they were upset and shaken as you would expect.”

She added: “I felt sick when I saw it, I was shaken.”

A man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said there were no serious injuries in the incident.