Chaos as BMW hits five cars in slalom on Broomhouse Grove

Ann Duffy from Broomhouse Grove, Edinburgh takes a look at the damage to her gate. Picture Toby Williams.

The 4x4 caused thousands of pounds worth of damage as it careered down the busy residential street, shunting one car through a wall and pitching another onto a hedge.

And fearing people had been mown down in the Sunday afternoon carnage, shocked neighbours ran from their homes in Broomhouse to help any casualties.

Residents were startled by a series of loud bangs from around 2.30pm as the BMW X5 smashed into five cars on Broomhouse Grove in quick succession.

One man said the commotion he heard was so great he expected to find bodies in the road, adding that was a “miracle” no-one was killed.

At least three cars were written off, with reports that the driver failed to stop for 150 metres after the first collision.

Witnesses said the car finally came to a halt in the middle of the road and suffered only minor damage despite the havoc it caused.

Neighbours also claimed the driver then drove back to the crash site, parked in a nearby bay and walked into one of the houses before returning to the car to retrieve shopping.

The Duffys, who have lived on the street for five years, came out of their front door to find a Volkswagen Polo had been shunted through their patio wall in the mayhem.

Lawrence Duffy, 68, a retired bus driver, was snoozing inside his house when he heard about five or six bangs which he first thought was a big skip coming over speed bumps.

He said: “It was total carnage. I would say about three cars were written off.

“The driver just ploughed through the middle of it all. He hit one car, which hit then another car which went right through my wall.

“He got out of the car, looked in the street at all the carnage, and walked into a house.

“Then five minutes later he came back out of the house to pick up his messages.

“There was hardly any damage to his car – not even a broken headlight. It was like a tank.”

His wife Ann, 60, who was ironing at the time, added: “My granddaughter, who has special needs, usually sits on that wall listening to music on her headphones so she wouldn’t have heard it [the car coming]. It is a miracle he didn’t hit any kids, and that no-one was killed.

“Everyone rushed out to see if anyone was hurt, and even neighbours from right up the street came down because they heard the commotion.

“It was like something you see on the TV.”

One onlooker said it was his daughter’s car that was knocked through the Duffys’ wall after she popped in for a visit.

He said: “There was a noise like somebody revving up then all of a sudden there was this almighty smash. My daughter went to the window and shouted ‘My car!”

He added: “The first thing I did was look for the bodies. This is a busy thoroughfare. People walk up and down here all the time to get to the shops.

“It was the weekend when there are kids about. It’s a miracle there were no fatalities.”

Witnesses said the four cars parked together bore the brunt of the damage, but added that a fifth vehicle at the end of Broomhouse Grove was also struck.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police in Edinburgh were called to Broomhouse Grove shortly after 2.30pm on Sunday, September 25 after a BMW X5 collided with five parked cars.

“A 70-year-old man has been arrested in connection with this and inquiries are ongoing.”