RESIDENTS have been left unable to return to their home after a van smashed into the side of a house.

Emergency services were called to Heath Gardens, in Netley Abbey, at about 1.20pm on Sunday after an incident involving a Peugeot Expert.

No one was injured but damage was caused to the gas supply of the address and residents were evacuated as a precaution.

The gas supply has since been declared safe and neighbouring residents have been allowed back into their homes.

But, the residents of the house have not been able to return due to structural damage.

The area near the incident has been cordoned off by police for safety reasons and was guarded by a handful of officers for hours following the incident.

A force spokeswoman confirmed a 16-year-old boy from Netley Abbey had been arrested in connection with the incident and is currently in custody.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman added: “Investigations into the exact circumstances of the incident are ongoing.”

A neighbouring resident said: “All I know is that in involved a van there was two youths.”

Another added: “I was cleaning my car and heard a screech and a loud band, then I saw a car had crashed into my neighbour’s house and two kids running away. I know there was a gas leak too.”

Another resident said: “I don’t know what happened, I have no idea. Everyone has just seemed to have turned up.”

A SGN Gas spokeswoman said they sent out an engineer to the home to turn off the gas supply to the house and ensure everything was safe.

She added there was no damage to any of their pipes although there could be some damage internally.

The spokeswoman said the home’s gas supplier will need to spend out an engineer to check the internal pips before the gas can be reconnected.