Police are hunting vandals who sent a huge cable drum smashing into seven cars on the hill of a busy Bradford road last night.

The five-ft wooden drum ricocheted off the sides of six vehicles and mounted the pavement before finally crashing into a parked Vauxhall Cavalier in Undercliffe Lane.

Shocked residents were woken by the sound of the destruction, which smashed the wings and bumpers of several cars, at about 11.45pm.

The first thing voluntary worker Aliya Shirazi knew about it was when she heard the car alarm of the Cavalier.

She said: "I am just upset because my brother, Raza, had left it here for safekeeping while he was away and was coming to collect it today, so it was very unlucky.

"But if this car was not there it could have gone on to Otley Road and hit somebody or caused a fatal accident, so in another way it was quite a miraculous escape."

The drum had gathered such momentum by the time it hit the Vauxhall that it shunted the car several feet down the road, towards a bus stop.

Self-employed engineer Tony Prendergast had the wing of his Ford Orion crushed by the wheel after it had bounced off a neighbour's wall.

"I heard quite a rumble as it hit a line of cars and then took my wing off before it crumpled up the bonnet of the car at the bottom of the hill and came to a halt," he said.

Police today were carrying out door-to-door inquiries and logging the damage details from each of the seven car owners.

A Bradford Central spokesman said: "Nobody was injured, luckily, but they could have been and it was very irresponsible behaviour.

"We would appeal to anyone who knows who is responsible for this to come forward."

Anybody with information should call the confidential Crimestoppers number, 0800 555111 or Bradford Central Police on (01274) 376456.