A HUSBAND accidentally ran over his wife as he chased the youths who had thrown a missile at his car.

Avril Gerrard was left with broken ribs and toes and a fractured nose, as well as bruises to her wrists and knees.

Mrs Gerrard and her husband Malcolm were heading down Livesey Branch Road towards Ewood at around 7.30pm on Friday when they heard something hit their car.

Mr Gerrard, 55, from Feniscowles said it was the third time in three weeks that youngsters have thrown objects at their grey Vauxhall Meriva.

The couple said they had had enough and decided it was time to try and catch the boys.

As they followed one of them down a side road off Livesey Branch Road, Mrs Gerrard decided to give chase on foot.

But after she got out, Mr Gerrard reversed the car to follow the boy, but the edge of the vehicle hit his wife Mrs Gerrard, who works at Express Gifts, Clayton Business Park, Clayton-le-Moors, said she that did not blame her husband at all.

She said: "My husband has a problem with his foot so he can't run and I got out of the car.

"When he hit me he said I'm so sorry'. He was a nervous wreck.

"Police should be patrolling the area to catch these kids.

"I have no idea why they are doing it, other than they must get some kind of kick out of it..

"If we had done that we would have got a good hiding when we were kids."

Mr Gerrard said he was shocked and upset when he realised what had happened as he did not realise until "it was too late".

He said he immediately gave up the chase and went to help his wife. She was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital for treat-ment.

A police spokesman confirmed officers were investigating a missile-throwing incident.

He said: "We were called to Livesey Branch Road at shortly before 7.45pm on Friday to a report a driver had accidentally reversed into his wife as he gave chase to someone who had thrown an object at his car.

"Throwing objects at a vehicle is extremely irresponsible and in the past has caused serious accidents.

"Fortunately in this instance nobody was seriously injured.

"Notwithstanding that, we would always advise that in a situation like this people should not take the law into their own hands but call the police."