IT was a rude awakening for teacher Jo Griffiths of Newnham Bridge, last Thursday night when a Vauxhall Cavalier SRi ploughed through the front door of her small Victorian cottage, demolishing the hall, staircase and sitting room.

The front end of the car was left in the sitting room and the boot was projecting out of what had been the front entrance of her home, Station Cottage, surrounded by rubble. The inner wall between the sitting room and the hallway completely collapsed.

Remarkably, the stained glass in the sitting room door remained intact, despite being knocked off its hinges in the 11.15pm accident.

In an exclusive interview, the shocked college lecturer told The Advertiser: "I was asleep upstairs and was woken up by a big crash, and lots of music. Terrified, I grabbed some clothes, made a dash for the stairs to see what was going on, but the staircase had gone and all I could see was a blue car in my hall.

"I tried to call 999 on my mobile but the reception in this area is very poor so I went to the window and shouted for help. Police and fire-fighters arrived very quickly."

Station Officer David James said: "It was a precarious situation. The staircase had been demolished and the young woman was trapped upstairs but by the time we got there she had clambered over the debris to get out.

"The building was in a dangerous state and we had to use heavy rescue equipment to prop it up and make it safe enough to remove the car. It's a good thing that she wasn't downstairs when it happened."

But the sleepless night for the head of design and technology at Baxter College, Kidderminster, had only just begun.

"From then on it was all go. Police were kept busy with the youths in the car, fire teams were propping up my cottage to get the car out, and at 4am surveyors arrived to check out safety.

"Contractors came to board up the cottage, and a lad from the car came back to take out the audio equipment," she said, declaring that she was in good health after her lucky escape

"The ripple effect is something else," she said, "My clothes are upstairs, and I shall have to buy something to wear to work. I also need estimates for the rebuilding work and my furniture needs to be stored. It's been quite a shock, but it could have been a lot worse."

Her insurance company was arranging temporary accommodation for her.

Police want witnesses to contact Freephone 0800 55511, quoting reference 232C/131103, with any information.