A CAR narrowly missed smashing through the front door of a terraced house in a crash yesterday.

Shocked shift worker Robert Coxcroft was woken after the L-reg Proton careered into the front wall of his house in Bolton Road, Kearsley.

The male driver, believed to be in his 60s, had just stopped at a nearby petrol station but after filling up had driven less than 50 yards before slamming into the house.

The car had been driven from the nearby Ringley Car Sales showroom in Ringley Road.

A spokesman for the car company said: "The man was not test driving the car but we can confirm it belonged to us. Other than that we are not prepared to comment."

It is believed the accident occurred as the driver tried to grab trade plates which had fallen from the car's dashboard.

The bonnet was crushed and a front wing badly dented.

Now Mr Foxcroft, 29, is demanding swift action to repair his house. He claims part of the brickwork in the front wall was shoved in by the crash.

He added: "The chap who was driving was not injured and went off to phone the car showroom. I contacted the company to tell them about my wall. I want it repairing as quickly as possible. It's a mess.

"I've been very lucky. A few more inches and it could have come through the front door."

And neighbour Bill Collison says the smash is just the latest in a series of accidents to plague the stretch of road near the junction with the M61 motorway.

He added: "We've started a campaign to get this problem sorted out. We're all fed up of accidents around here."

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