A FAMILY was forced to flee its Kidderminster home after two youths in a stolen car ploughed through the front garden and smashed into the house, narrowly missing the gas supply.

A man and his wife and their two children, aged four and six, were asleep when the vehicle ripped through their front hedge and slammed into the front of their lounge, in Holmwood Avenue, shaking the building and leaving cracks in the masonry.

Two youths were detained soon after the incident - at 3am on Saturday - at Kidderminster Hospital, where they had gone for treatment for their injuries. A 17-year-old was subsequently arrested and released on bail pending further inquiries.

The 27-year-old householder, who does not wish to be named, said: "It could have been devastating. We could have been talking about a huge explosion.

"There was an horrendous bang. The house was shaking with the impact. I ran downstairs and there was a car. The windscreen was smashed in and the front of the car was completely devastated."

He said the engine of the car was revving, smoke was pouring out and the occupants had obviously gone through the window as blood and baseball caps were on the bonnet.

He added: "The next-door neighbour saw two lads staggering out of the car and running off."

Police subsequently launched a search with tracker dogs.

The father-of-two said the car completely ripped out the front of the hedge, tore up the front lawn and narrowly missed the gas meter.

He said he switched off the engine and waited for the police, who arrived shortly afterwards. He said the family subsequently evacuated the house for 10 minutes on the advice of firefighters while officers carried out safety checks on the vehicle.

"It was a very frightening experience," he said. "Everyone was a bit panic-stricken."

But he added the children had managed to sleep through most of the drama. "The kids were fast asleep. It's ironic; we have to tiptoe around them normally."