A MAN escaped injury after a car careered into the front of his house as he sat watching television today.

Former soldier Gordon Dugdale was just inches from impact after the green Toyota Avensis apparently clipped a parked car and crashed into the house in Highercroft, Blackburn.

The collision this afternoon left the front of the end-terrace property, in Lindisfarne Avenue, partly caved in.

But neither Mr Dugdale nor the occupants of the car, a woman and a child, were injured.

Firefighters were forced to carry out emergency repair work so Mr Dugdale, 55, partner Beverley Fielding, 45, and 10-year-old son Jason could stay in the house tonight.

Miss Fielding was called home from her job at the Royal Blackburn Hospital at 1.25pm by Mr Dugdale.

She said: “He just told me that a car had crashed into the front of the house and I couldn’t believe it.

“As I was walking home I saw sirens going past and I didn’t know what was going on.

“When I got home and saw what had happened, I just fell on the floor crying.”

The smash left part of the walls of the house caved in and damaged the front window in the living room.

Miss Fielding said: “It was a very lucky escape for Gordon. He could have been killed.

“I am so upset because the house is my pride and joy and we work so hard for it. But at least no one was hurt.”

Fire crews from Blackburn and Accrington attended the scene, along with the urban search and rescue team from Leyland, who shored up the building.

Shaun Walton, Accrington station manager, said: “We did some work on the house and so it is no longer dangerous. We did that within 15 minutes.

“With incidents like these, there is always potential for death or serious injury so Mr Dugdale can consider himself very lucky.”