A WHITEFIELD family had a lucky escape after a car smashed into their front room while they were watching television.

A white Mercedes van lost control on Bury New Road just before 11pm on Friday evening (April 19), colliding with a garden wall before demolishing the front window of one house and smashing part of the window of an adjoining property.

The house which suffered the majority of the impact was empty at the time of the crash but neighbour Tommy Farrand was sitting in the front lounge of his home on Friday evening with his family.

His wife, Sandra, their daughter Amanda (21) and her 23-year-old boyfriend Scott, were enjoying a glass of wine while watching TV.

Tommy and Sandra were sitting on the sofa along one wall of the room and Amanda and Scott were on a sofa which was situated in the front bay window.

Mr Farrand said: "We were sitting around having a family night in and the Jonathan Ross programme had just started. I heard a rumble then all of a sudden the window just came in. My daughter and her boyfriend dived on the floor and I ushered everyone into the back room as quickly as possible. We didn't know what had happened at first, then we saw a head light through the window."

The terrified group ventured outside the house to have a look while Mr Farrand phoned for an ambulance as they believed someone was still in the van.

Mr Farrand said he and his family had been so lucky and he was just glad no one was seriously injured.

He said Amanda had suffered a cut on the back of her leg from the flying glass and she and Scott both complained of a stiff neck the following day, which Mr Ferrand said was probably due to the shock and having to dive onto the floor to safety.

Mr Farrand's next door neighbour, and the owner of the house which suffered the extent of the damage, was believed to have been away at the time of the accident but was contacted with the news by his neighbours.

Mr Farrand added: "It was lucky the house was empty. If we had been in the house next door, I'm sure we wouldn't be here to talk to you today. There is rubble and bricks all over the front room and a heavy coping stone from the front wall had flown in through the window and landed in the middle of the room. I dread to think what could have happened."

Mr Farrand is now counting the cost of the damage and said it would have been a lot worse if the family hadn't installed secondary glazing in the front window.

"I think the secondary glazing took most of the impact and as well as smashing the glass, the impact bent the frames," he added, "the entire front of the house has been shunted out of place and there are cracks in the walls. Luckily my fish tank, which is along one of the walls, escaped without damage!"

The van had been involved in a collision a short time earlier with a Vauxhall Astra car on Thatch Leach Lane, in which the driver of the Astra suffered minor injuries.

Bury police say a man has been arrested in connection with the incident and charged with various related road traffic offences.