POLICE officers were lucky to survive when a BMW car lost control on the M4 and ploughed into their parked Range Rover have spoken of how they cheated death.

Swindon traffic officers Sgt Mark Levitt, PC Alan Kyne and PC Dick Preston were investigating an earlier smash on the M4, together with special police constable Emma Harris, when the car shunted the Range Rover towards them at 90 degrees, spraying them with glass and debris.

Mercifully none of the officers were hurt. The BMW driver was taken to PMH but did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

The first crash happened at 9.40am yesterday, when a Rover was in collision with a Slovenian van near junction 15, leaving the Rover on its roof on the embankment at 45 degrees.

The Rover driver, a Bristol post office worker, was taken to PMH for checks and the Slovenian van driver has since been questioned by Westlea police.

Sgt Levitt and PC Kyne were returning to their parked Range Rover when the BMW suddenly veered towards them.

"There was just a really loud whoosh and the big black shape of a vehicle," said Sgt Levitt. "Then there was a very, very loud bang and the Range Rover was thrown towards us, twisting at 90 degrees.

"The BMW rested on the embankment on its wheels at a 45 degree angle.

"We were covered in glass and debris and we could see the BMW driver hanging out of the driver's window, very dazed."

The BMW driver was a 49-year-old man from Portishead.

Sgt Levitt, 37, who has been a traffic officer for three years, said: "There is no apparent reason why the BMW veered across and we are investigating why."

PC Kyne, 35, a traffic officer for nine years, said: "I just heard a whoosh, I saw the BMW and was showered in glass. Thankfully everyone was okay."

For 22-year-old Emma Harris, a special WPC, it was her first glimpse of life on the traffic division. "I would still like to join the force," she said. "I was quite shocked and the team were really good about it when we came back."

For PC Dick Preston, 54, it was one of the last incidents he will face in the next four months, after a career with Swindon traffic spanning 26 years.

"You accept there is a level of risk and do everything you can do to minimise it," he said. "Any accident you can walk away from is a good one."

The Range Rover Swindon's only one is being replaced today or tomorrow.