A VAN careered through a garden and into a house in Keighley in the early hours of this morning.

The white Vauxhall Vivara knocked down a fence and a Christmas tree before becoming embedded in the corner of the semi-detached house in Bracken Bank Avenue.

Householders, woken by the crash soon before 2.45am, came downstairs to find the injured driver emerging from the wreckage.

Firefighters, police and paramedics were called to the scene of the accident, next to one of the estate’s mini roundabouts.

Steven Wass and his son Mark, who live in the house, came outside after hearing a bang, but did not feel any impact from the crash.

Mark said: “I was woken up by the noise and the van was right outside. Some lads jumped out.”

Mr Wass said he saw two men, who looked to be in their mid to late-20s, running away, while the driver remained at the scene.

Mark’s father Steven said the van had narrowly missed his new car, parked at the roadside, as it came off the roundabout and continued through the fence.

He said: “It’s knock down two reinforced fence posts. It must have been going fairly quick to knock down the tree.”

The Wass family have been told they can remain in the house, but the corner will need propping up until it is repaired.

Firefighters were among those called to the incident.

A spokesman for Keighley Fire Station said: “The vehicle went through the gable end of the house and was well-damaged. We requested a structural engineer for the house.”

The driver was taken to hospital with what was suspected to be slight injuries.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman this morning said a crime had been recorded following the incident. Enquiries are continuing.