A home for people with learning difficulties was evacuated after a car hit its front wall.

The crash happened in the early hours of yesterday at Alexandra House, off St Osyth Road, Alresford.

Imtiaz Khalid, night care assistant at the home, said he heard a loud bang and spotted a silver Ford Granada car outside the home, which houses 13 adults with learning difficulties.

Damage - Imtiaz Khalid outside Alexandra House off St Osyth Road, Alresford

The accident damaged the front wall, the garage door, a fence and the windscreen and side doors of his car.

He said: "We were concerned about the smell of petrol. We had to evacuate all the residents and take them into the house next door while the fire brigade made sure the car was not going to explode.

"The clients were very concerned about it. We've got two clients who are blind who we had to get downstairs at this time of night, and one of the clients had to sleep downstairs as he was too scared to go back upstairs."

Firefighters were called to the scene after the incident at 12.30am. Peter Walker, of Wivenhoe fire station, said: "It ploughed through a wall and hit the corner of the house which has caused it to crumble slightly."

A man was later arrested and was due to be questioned in connection with the incident.

Published Tuesday, March 19, 2002