Eltham crash: Man and woman in 70s killed after van in police chase crashes into car in south-east London

A man and woman in their 70s have been killed after the car they were in was hit by a van which was being chased by police in south-east London.

Police said officers were pursuing the Ford Transit van after it was spotted being "driven erratically at speed".

It collided with a Citroen C3 on Footscray Road, Eltham, at just after midnight on Saturday.

Paramedics raced to the scene but both the man and woman in the car were pronounced dead.

Neighbour Hussein Dervish, 65, said: "I was in the back of my house when I heard just a loud bang.

"I went outside and saw the car and the van. I said to the police officer: 'I hope they (the elderly couple) are okay?' But the policeman said they weren't."

The driver of the van was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst over the alcohol limit, driving while unfit through drugs and death by dangerous driving, Scotland Yard said.

Council staff were busy on Saturday morning putting down sand on the road, which has a 30mph speed limit.

Tyre marks could be seen across the carriageway and on a grass bank, with damage to a wooden post.

Mahmut Hasan, 57, said his Honda Jazz was damaged in the collision.

"It is a write-off. The whole of the side is damaged," he said.

"At the end of the day it doesn't matter because it's just metal and rubber, and two people have sadly lost their lives."

The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Additional reporting by Press Association