Runaway car dangles above house after crash

The car perched precariously at the top of Martin Herbert's garden all weekend

A 75-year-old driver had a lucky escape after a runaway car smashed through a garden wall and into a greenhouse, dragging him along with it.

His neighbour Martin Herbert said he heard a loud bang on Friday morning and saw the Toyota Hilux dangling above his property in Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

He also spotted the 4x4's owner lying on the ground nearby, frantically calling out to him.

Mr Herbert added that the only thing that stopped the vehicle from crashing into his home was the front of it getting wedged on a tree stump in his backyard.

Martin Herbert said he'd had a lucky escape after the car's descent was halted by a tree stump

“There was a huge noise like someone was unloading a load of bricks off the back of a lorry, then I heard my neighbour shouting my name again and again,” said Mr Herbert, 67.

“He had reversed his car out of his garage and got out to shut the gates, at which point he saw it was moving.

"He tried to get in and put his foot on the brake but it dragged him across the road and smashed into my garden.

“Any closer to my gate posts and he could have been killed.”

Mr Herbert said the crash could have killed his neighbour

Mr Herbert added that the 4x4, which weighs close to three tonnes, was left suspended in mid air at the top of his tiered patio all weekend.

“I thought the car was going to crash through the back of my house and end up in my lounge," he said.

“Me and my wife were really frightened."

Mr Herbert said he and his neighbour struggled to find a recovery company with a suitable vehicle to move the heavy 4X4 from his garden, which is located at the top of a steep street.

The 4x4 was left "dangling" at the top of the garden all weekend

But after two days it was finally removed, a tricky operation which took three hours.

And, even though it was taped off by the fire service, the scene proved a popular attraction for teenagers making social media videos.

“All the kids have been doing their TikTok videos here - they just thought it was funny to see a car was hanging in the air," said Mr Herbert.

"They didn’t see the danger in the situation, which worried me even more."