TWO bungalows were damaged when a 4x4 left the road and smashed into the buildings in a York village.

Howard Fisher was in bed in a bedroom at the back of his home in Wheatfield Lane, Haxby, when a black BMW X5 ploughed into his living room. The vehicle then crashed into the side of the unoccupied bungalow next door.

The incident happened at about 4am on Saturday.

Mr Fisher, who shares the bungalow with his wife, Mary, said he was unhurt and the couple were looking for somewhere else to stay.

Mary and Bill Clasper, who live across the road from Mr Fisher’s house, were asleep at the back of their bungalow when they were woken by a loud noise.

Mrs Clasper said: “It sounded like a clap of thunder to me. I said ‘what on earth was that’?

“We were shocked when we saw what had happened. You don’t expect that sort of thing down here.”

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “I heard all this banging, then I looked out and saw a couple of fire engines, an ambulance and police cars.”

PC Martin Hayes, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Two people have been arrested and are in custody at York police station.

“Thankfully for the occupant, the front room was not the bedroom. The noise from the impact must have been tremendous.”

PC Hayes said the occupant of the house was not injured, but were very shocked and shaken, and the two people in the BMW suffered only minor injuries.

A police spokesman said a 46-year-old local woman had been arrested for driving while over the legal limit, and a 19-year-old man had also been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.

Both have since been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Fire crews from York, Huntington and Tadcaster were sent to the scene, and a heavy rescue unit was also brought in from Tadcaster to attend to the property.

Workers were called into shore up the roof of the bungalow.