Man arrested after car hits building

A building on St Aldate's in Oxford was damaged in the crash

A man has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and criminal damage after a car hit a building in the centre of Oxford.

Part of St Aldate's had to be cordoned off in the aftermath of the crash, in which a blue Mazda 2 TS hit the wall of a ground floor flat at the junction with Thames Street at about 03:50 BST.

The driver, a 21-year-old man, was hurt and taken to hospital. He has since been discharged and taken in to police custody.

Thames Valley Police said there had been "significant damage" to the building and Oxford City Council said it had moved three tenants from the building while repairs take place.

A cordon was placed around part of St Aldate's following the incident

Part of the wall and a road sign were damaged, with bricks and rubble covering the pavement nearby.

The force said partial road closures had been put in place while the scene was made safe and repairs were made but these had been lifted by the afternoon.

Officers appealed for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward.

The crash happened at the junction with Thames Street

In a statement, the council said: "We evacuated three of our tenants from the building and have arranged alternative accommodation for them over the weekend."

It said a structural engineer visited the site on Saturday morning and had confirmed the building was safe.

Further investigations will take place on Monday to determine what repair work is needed before tenants can return to their homes, it added.

There had been a "swift response" from Oxford Direct Services in securing the building, said the authority, which also thanked The Head of the River pub "for kindly offering a place for our tenants to rest while we arranged alternative accommodation".