A TEENAGE driver escaped with minor injuries this morning when his car crashed through the wall of an historic stone barn.

The MG-ZR, driven by a 19-year-old man, smashed through the building in Chorley Old Road, opposite the Lord Nelson pub, Whittle-le-Woods, at around 1am.

The car is believed to have struck a lampost before hitting the barn which has stood in the village since the early 1900s.

Jason Maddock, 22, and his father Keith, landlord of the Lord Nelson, were first on the scene.

Jason said: “We heard a loud bang. At first we thought it was beer barrels falling but then we saw debris on the road.

“The driver had got out of the car and was staggering down the road.

"His face was covered in blood and he was obviously in shock.

“When I saw the wreckage of the car and then the damage caused I couldn’t believe anyone had survived.”

Police and paramedics attended the scene and the man was taken to Royal Preston Hospital for treatment.

The barn is owned by county council highways officer Simon Bromley, from Feniscowles.

He uses it to store a 2.5 ton USA army truck built in 1945 which he displays at shows.

He has also travelled to World War 2 memorial events in Normandy in the truck.

Remarkably, in his role as highways officer, the call was made to Mr Bromley to issue a road closure order, as the building was unsafe.

He said: “I got the call to close the roads and simply couldn’t believe it when they said it was my shed.

“In the end I’m just thankful that nobody was seriously hurt.

"It’s a very old building dating back to the early 1900s and the structure has been badly damaged.”

Several roads in Whittle-le-Woods remained closed throughout the day as contractors worked to make the building safe.

A police spokesman said that an investigation had been launched into the circumstances of the incident.