A STOLEN 4x4 crashed into a supermarket - sparking fears of a terrorist attack.

Shoppers dived for cover as the Toyota Land Cruiser smashed into bollards and a window at Asda in Farnworth yesterday.

It narrowly missed a mum and her baby when it "shot" into the store's car park.

Ann Mears, of Bredbury Drive, was walking towards the supermarket as it happened. She said: "The car came shooting through the car park and hit the bollards and a door. It sounded like a bomb and I just could not believe what was happening.

"With all the security scares around the country at the moment all sorts of things go through your mind."

Sharon Thomas, aged 36, added: "I had just got out of a taxi and saw people running in all directions in panic. I thought it was some sort of terrorist attack and I kept back."

Panicked shoppers ditched their trollies and fled the store when the 4x4 hit the supermarket at 2pm yesterday. The incident at first appeared to be similar to a terror attack on Glasgow airport which saw a car packed with volatile gas cylinders crash into the terminal building.

The Land Cruiser, which was stolen from Blackpool in June, rammed into an unmarked police car on the car park before crashing into a bollard, losing control and smashing through a side window near the check-outs.

The action was caught on film because, by coincidence, TV crews were with police shooting footage for television programme Police, Camera, Action.

Officers had realised the jeep had false plates and tried to pull it over. But it speed off and was chased down Market Street and Albert Street before turning into Asda in Brackley Street.

When it finally came to a halt, the driver fled from the vehicle and ran onto the roof of a The Saddle pub, where he was arrested.

Asda was closed for an hour while the debris was cleared up.

A police spokesman said: "The pursuit reached a maximum speed of around 30mph. It was terminated a short time after it began because the Land Cruiser drove onto the Asda car park, causing a risk to the public.

"The offender then tried to escape the car park by driving into the police vehicle, then collided at slow speed with a shuttered door at the back of the store. When it stopped, the driver of the stolen vehicle got out of the damaged car and climbed onto the roof of a pub, where he was arrested.

"He remains in police custody for questioning."

A Greater Manchester Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "We did not have to take anybody to hospital or treat anyone for any injuries.

"But as you can imagine in light of the terror-related events of the past few days a few people were shaken up including a mother and baby and we treated them for shock at the scene."

An Asda spokesman said: "Thankfully no-one was hurt in the incident and we are working closely with the police to establish what happened."