'Gobsmacked' man left with hole in side of his house after car ploughed into it

This is the devastation left when a car travelling at ‘around 100mph’ ploughed into the side of a house after colliding with a taxi.

Tony Ross was cleaning his neighbour’s windows when he heard a huge bang.

Rushing back to his house, he was “gobsmacked” to find a giant hole in the front of it.

The shocked 59-year-old said he had been in his living room just ten minutes before the crash.

Police have launched an investigation into the crash, which involved a BMW 320d that was involved in a collision with a taxi before careering into Tony’s home in Burnley, Lancashire, on Saturday evening.

Witnesses claimed the BMW was driving at high speeds, with the owner of a nearby petrol station saying it was travelling at around 100mph.

Tony said: “I heard a massive bang and thought it had come from the opposite end of the road. It will cost tens of thousands of pounds to repair this mess.”

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The 59-year-old council maintenance worker, who has lived in the house for eight years, said there was substantial damage to the living room’s 1950s fireplace, glass door, tables, chairs and sofa – but his fish tank had survived.

He and brother Paul, who owns the house, are waiting for a building inspector to arrive and assess the damage before starting work to repair the wall.

A police spokesman said the taxi driver had to be cut out of his car by fire crews following the crash and was taken to Royal Preston Hospital.

The driver of the BMW was arrested at the scene and taken to Royal Preston Hospital.

A police spokesman said: “A BMW has collided with a house. One man has been arrested and taken to hospital.”