A 22-year-old man died and a woman was seriously injured when their speeding car went out of control as they overtook a friend's vehicle in a residential street.

Another 22-year-old man who was in the other car has been arrested by police on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, following the crash in Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn .

Police said the man was killed when his Renault Clio clipped a traffic island while trying to overtake another Clio at 60mph in a 30mph zone at 8.40pm yesterday.

The car careered into a parked BT van, sending both vehicles hurtling 40 feet down the road and demolishing a garden wall.

The Clio then hit a parked Ford Ranger and a Peugeot 106 before coming to a halt in the driveway of a semi-detached house.

Firefighters cut the man, aged 22, and a woman in her 20s free from the wreckage of the Clio.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, while the woman was today in a stable condition in Blackburn Royal Infirmary with serious head, chest and neck injuries.

The driver of the second Clio escaped unharmed and parked his silver car a short way from the scene.

Police said all the people involved were from Blackburn.

Susan Shaw, who lives in the house near where the car came to rest, was sitting in her living room with daughter and grandson when the accident happened. She said: "All of a sudden we heard a loud screeching noise. I looked out of the window and thought 'what was that?'

"I saw something fly past my window and land in the gateway.

"I said phone the ambulance straight away there has been a road accident.

"Before we knew where we were everybody was there.

"It has shaken us all really badly. It is terrible."

Livesey Branch Road resident Lorraine Buckley, 43, whose garden wall was knocked down in the crash, said: "It was a really awful thing to happen and my heart goes out to the family.

"It was a horrible thing to see."

The BT van, which was left half its size after being crushed on impact, came to a stop sideways on in the road out the Shaw's house.

A large section of Livesey Branch Road, from Green Lane to the Evergreens, was closed until 2.10am today while police investigated.

Debris was strewn across the road over 40 feet, including bricks from a garden wall that was knocked down, a car door, papers and personal belongings.

One resident said: "I heard someone saying that they were trying to revive a man in the road. It is shocking."

Another man at the scene added: "It's just tragic. I think it is about time they looked at this road and put things like speed humps in. It is wide and open to speeding."

Inspector Peter Ziegelund said: "This was a tragic incident involving young people who should be looking forward to the rest of their lives.

"The full circumstances of the collision are still under investigation and any witnesses should make contact with the police."

Anyone with information should call Blackburn police on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

o In July, three-year-old Demi-Leigh Hitchen died after being knocked down on the pavement further down Livesey Branch Road.