A TRUCK driver damaged eight cars after he tried to squeeze his way down a narrow road which had parked vehicles on both sides.

The man drove down Longworth Street, Tonge Fold -but because his truck, which was carrying a skip, was too wide for the narrow strip of road, he scraped his way through.

Today the company which employed him, Manchester-based AWR Rent A Skip, said they would not use the driver again.

Residents in Longworth Road say they are considering a petition to have the road widened.

The incident happened at 11am on Thursday. The skip truck driver, who worked for an agency being employed by AWR, seriously damaged the eight cars, ripping a bumper off one, a red Fiat Punto.

But instead of stopping, residents say he drove off. Nearby resident Beryl Miller said she ran after him, eventually catching up with the driver and noting down his details.

Mrs Miller, who lives on nearby Edditch Grove, Tonge Fold, said she watched the incident from her daughter's house.

She said: "I saw him stop at the end of the road and thought he'd never get through. But then he just drove right on. I chased after him with a piece of paper and a pen and caught him in a back street.

"When I asked him if he knew what he had just done, all he said was 'prove it'.

Mrs Miller took down the number on the side of the skip and rang the company. She said: "What annoys me is that he drove off and just denied what he had done. What would it have cost people if he hadn't been caught?"

AWR Rent A Skip's manager Mark Rogers said he would visit residents to see the damage for himself.

He said: "I have contacted the insurance company and told them about the incident. The driver was from an agency and I will not be using him again."

Lesley Farthing, who lives on Longworth Street, said a petition to widen the road was being considered.

She said: "We were just lucky that our car wasn't parked in front of the house at the time.

"This road should be made wider, because it's very difficult to get past when cars are parked on either side.

"Even when drivers fold their wing mirrors in, it's not easy."

Doreen Wood, another resident said: "We saw the lorry driver go up the street, and soon heard a car alarm going off.

"We thought it was just the vibrations from the truck, but it turned out that he'd damaged a long line of cars.

"He should have stopped and not tried to drive off. Some truck drivers have to turn back when they try to drive down the road, and others take it very slowly.

"But it's not a very wide road, and these streets weren't made for all this traffic."

Police say they are investigating the incident.