A man was arrested on suspicion of drug driving after a car ploughed into a 12th century church.
CCTV footage seen by the ECHO shows a silver car going straight through the front wall of St Luke's Parish Church in Farnworth, Widnes, on Friday (October 27) evening. The car, which was travelling at speed, smashed into the wall and broke a stone Saxon cross, which is said to date back to the 9th century.
Another video, which has been circulating on social media, appears to show a man running away from the car and the scene. Music could still be heard blaring out from inside the damaged car, which was left inside the church grounds. A man can be heard saying "oi" as the suspect runs away, before saying "he's f****** run off".
READ MORE: Ordinary brick wall hiding an underground labyrinth
READ MORE: Adelphi owners Britannia named worst hotel chain for 11th straight year
Pictures taken by the ECHO at the scene today show the extent of the damage at the church, which is the oldest in Cheshire and the oldest building in Widnes. The Saxon cross has snapped into three pieces and an area of the wall has collapsed.
Hannah West, who works at The Ring O'Bells pub across the road from the church, told the ECHO: “It was loads of drama. The whole of the pub was stood there watching it.
"The thing is the music was on, so no one heard anything until someone said, then everyone was watching it. There’s police tape and the brick walls have been hit and so has the 9th century cross."
Church warden Barry Horabin told the ECHO: "I got a phone call about 9.45pm last night that someone had driven through the church wall. When we got there, police were already there and a person was arrested.
"Eyewitnesses said he must have been doing at least 70 (mph) coming up Farnworth Street, there’s a chicane in the road. People said he hit the top of the top speed bump, went out of control and went straight into the wall."
Barry and others have spent today dealing with the damage and clearing the debris.
He said: "We've spent today clearing. They are massive stones. The car was a complete write-off, it's virtually demolished. It was towed away and we were just left with the mess.
"The cross is in three pieces, but fortunately it looks like we can repair that. There's no damage to the church building itself, we're lucky it didn't get that far."
Barry added: "The congregation isn’t massive but today and last night, people have come to see it and say that they’d like to donate to a fund to repair it. People have been coming and saying how distressed they are by it."
A Cheshire Police spokesperson said: "At 2039hrs police were called to a single vehicle road traffic collision in Farnworth Street, Widnes. A car had left the road and collided with a wall.
"Officers attended and found the vehicle unoccupied. Enquiries at the scene and an area search led to the arrest of an adult male on suspicion of drug driving."
The Liverpool Daily Post newsletter delves into the biggest stories on Merseyside
Get a free National Trust pass worth up to £50 for your family day out this autumn