A MAN has described the moment he heard a 'massive' bang as a car crashed into his house in the early hours.

Stewart Clough, 31, was in bed at his home in Roe Greave Road, Oswaldtwistle, when the X-type Jaguar smashed his home just after 5am.

The vehicle hit the side of his house while it tried to take a short cut down a cobbled alleyway onto Commercial Street.

Two youngsters, aged around 12, who were in the car, then ran off after trying to reverse the car free.

Police arrived at 5.20am and removed the car, with officers now investigating the incident and appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Mr Clough said: "I was fast asleep in my house when I was woken up at around 5am to a massive bang.

"I thought someone had crashed into a car outside so I ran downstairs.

"But when I got outside, there were two kids next to where the car had crashed into the side of my house, who can't have been older than around 12 .

"One was trying to start the engine of the car to reverse it from the wall, while the other was trying to push the car away from where it had crashed.

"They said their dad had crashed the car and that they'd gone to get help which I didn't believe.

"So I went back inside and got my iPad out to take photos of the car and the registration plate."

But by the time Mr Clough went back outside, he said the children had locked the car and ran off.

He said: "So I then phoned the police and they turned up and checked the car's details, and it wasn't registered as stolen and was taxed and insured.

"The car was registered in Rishton and insured in Clayton and the police went to the address of the car but no-one was in unfortunately.

Mr Clough said he had been told by an officer at the scene they had received reports of someone driving a Jaguar 'erratically' around the nearby area.

He said: "This is what I was told by police and when I looked in the Jaguar there were cans of beer and bits of rubbish in the back.

"I'm surprised by what's happened, especially to wake up and see two children outside my house, but thankfully there isn't a lot of damage to the house.

"I only moved to the area in May with my wife and two children, but I like living here and what's happened hasn't changed that."

A police spokesman said: "We were called at 5.18am to reports of a car colliding with the side of a house in Roe Greave Road, Oswaldtwistle.

"There were possibly two people inside the car.

"Police are investigating the collision and appealing for any witnesses to come forward by contacting 101 quoting log number 244 of July 7."