DRIVE-BY thugs may have sparked a huge explosion which rocked a neighbourhood.

Residents have had a number of lucky escapes in recent days after a series of blasts - possibly caused by large mortar-style fireworks - were detonated.

Windows have been smashed and cars damaged during the late-night explosions.

Police forensic experts were probing the possibility that coins could have been put inside the device in a bid to cause further havoc after a penny was found at the scene.

Margaret Laithwaite, of Park Road, Walkden, is the latest person to avoid serious injury after a blast blew in her living room window as she watched television at about 11.30pm on Tuesday.

She said: "It was horrendous. I was sitting on my own watching television. I came to the front and all the neighbours were out. The street was full of thick smoke. I don't have the words to describe whoever did this."

The explosion shattered a car window and blew a hole in the driver's door of the Ford Fiesta, which took much of the force of the blast.

The vehicle's owner, John Greenwood, is counting the cost of the damage.

He said: "There is a hole in the bodywork about an inch across and the window was shattered.

"It sickens me that someone should have done this. Nothing shocks me anymore."

Now detectives are probing reports that a device may have been thrown from a car seconds before the detonation.

Residents on the quiet street revealed a van driver passing the scene had spotted a car, driving with its headlights switched off, lurking by the row of terraced homes before the blast.

It follows an explosion on Sunday night which blew out headlights on two cars and shattered a bedroom window. That blast, on Bridgewater Road, Walkden, was just a few hundred yards from the latest explosion.

Detectives have confirmed they are looking at the possibility that the two incidents are connected.

Other explosions have been reported in the Atherton area in the last few days and 12 panes of glass were shattered when an industrial firework went off on a Prestwich housing estate.

And senior officers say they want to catch those responsible before someone is badly injured by one of the blasts.

Det Chief Insp Ian Foster, of Swinton CID, said: "We're still trying to establish exactly what the device was and we will continue to make inquiries to see if incidents are linked.

"A silver Golf car was seen in the area and we're trying to trace the owner with a view to eliminating them from our inquiry.

"A coin was found nearby and we are still trying to find out if that formed part of the device or not."

Anyone with information should contact Swinton CID on 0161 872 5050 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.