A CAR demolished a lamp post, careered through a hedge, ploughed across a field and ended on its roof in a village near Selby.

The crash happened on the A19 at Burn at about 5.15am today. The black VW Golf ended up just three feet outside one of the first houses in the village.

Jim Tate who lives in the house, said he and his wife slept through the whole thing.

He said: “We were very lucky. We could have woken to a car through the side of the wall."

Mr Tate also found a large metal chunk of debris from the lamppost which he said could have killed someone if it had gone through a window.

But he added that the car must have been airborne as it crossed the field because there were no tyre marks anywhere in the field.

A few years ago a car left the road and demolished part of his garden wall and two leylandii trees.

Chris Phillipson, chairman of Burn Parish Council, said: "Unfortunately this is yet another accident in the village of Burn.

“We don't want to say 'we told you so' but, although we don't yet know the cause of this accident, we have on several occasions raised our concerns with the county highways department about traffic and speeding through the village.

"We have made viable and cost-effective recommendations to make the A19 through Burn much safer for its residents and users. We now look forward to working with Highways in making them happen."

Police said the 51-year-old male driver was uninjured in the crash.