POLICE say they are still investigating the cause of the latest horror smash on a notorious stretch of the A4, where a car lost control and was catapulted into a pub car park.

Witnesses said the Seat skidded on black ice as it descended New Derry Hill at 9.30pm on January 2. It span across the road several times, before ploughing into the car park of the Lysley Arms, smashing into a Citroen Picasso.

The force of the impact sent the Seat and its five occupants hurtling into the air, smashing into a Citroen C2 and barrel rolling across three more parked cars, before it came to rest upside down on the roof of a parked Mercedes.

Inspector Cavan Moroney of Wiltshire traffic police said officers have spoken to the driver of the Seat, but they will not interview him in depth until the outcome of the police vehicle examiner's report, and the completion of witness statements.

"Our investigation is ongoing and it may take some time before we find out exactly what happened," he said.

Miraculously no-one was injured in the crash, including the owner of the Citroen C2, teenager Dan Roberts, who was sitting in his car at the time of the collision.

He narrowly avoided serious injury by releasing his handbrake, moving the car back several inches. As a result the Seat ploughed into the front of his car instead of the driver's door.

The Gazette is campaigning to have safety measures installed on the A4 between Chippenham and Calne.