AN ELDERLY couple were moments from tragedy after a car crashed into a telegraph pole outside their home sending live wires hurtling to the ground.

Doreen and Fred Pomroy, of Lower Westwood near Trowbridge, were both outside their home moments before the accident ripped live electricity cables from a wall.

The accident happened when a Ford Fiesta, believed to be stolen from a Trowbridge car-park, ploughed into an electricity pole outside the couple's home.

It then hit a garden wall, flipped over and landed back on its wheels outside the New Inn pub.

Mr Pomroy, 74, said the scene was utter chaos as fallen masonry and live wires littered the ground.

He said: "I was sitting drinking a cup of tea when I heard this horrendous bang, it was like an explosion.

"My wife went outside to have a look. I was supposed to be outside my home working when the accident happened, I would have been struck by the falling masonry for sure. It could have all ended in tragedy."

Mrs Pomroy said she would never forget the scene of devastation outside her home.

"I just saw this awful mess. The cables were dangling over our car and brickwork was all over the place.

"The pole had cracked and the smashed car was nearby. It was quite chaotic. People were trying to clear up all the mess.

"Cars do speed through the village and we have had an accident outside our home before.

"I have been very nervous since and keep shaking. I hope we get through the rest of this year without any more incidents."

Police sealed off the road while employees from Southern Electric tried to fix the cracked pole and restore power to five homes.

British Telecom workers were called to the scene to survey damaged telephone wires.

Staff and customers from the New Inn helped clear up the mess by sweeping the road and supplying hot drinks to emergency workers.

The driver, a 29-year-old Trowbridge man, was taken to the Royal United Hospital by ambulance with minor head injuries and a suspected broken wrist.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.