POLICE are still hunting a driver who fled the scene after his van crashed through the front wall of a house in Hampshire.

David Roles and his wife Jane cheated death by inches when the vehicle "came through the curtains" after failing to negotiate a sharp bend outside the property in Sovereign Drive, Hedge End.

The van just stopped inches in front of Mrs Roles, leaving a tyre mark on the lounge carpet.

A chair next to the front window was sent flying and ended up between Mrs Roles and her husband, who was sitting on a sofa on the other side of the room.

Their television also shot across the lounge and came to rest against a fireplace beside the chair in which Mrs Roles was sitting.

The couple, both 63, said the driver scrambled out of the vehicle and disappeared through the huge hole created by the crash.

Today police confirmed that officers are still trying to locate the motorist, who is not thought to have been injured in the incident.

Owned by SDS Roofing Services, of Marls Road in Botley, the vehicle ploughed through the wall of the semi-detached house shortly after 6pm on Tuesday.

The van missed Mrs Roles's car but "bounced" off her husband's van before smashing into the three-bedroom property, causing extensive damage.

Yesterday loss adjusters from the couple's insurance company visited the house to view the devastation.

Mr Roles, a self-employed gardener, said: "We were watching TV when we heard a bang and saw a van come through the window, bringing glass and everything else with it.

"We were blocked in and had to use the back door to get out.

Mrs Roles added: "We were watching the news when there was an almighty bang. A van came through the curtains and stopped just in front of me.

"My reaction was one of complete shock and disbelief. My hands were shaking and I couldn't sleep that night - I kept getting flashbacks.

"I think we're both very lucky to be alive. If anyone had been sitting in the chair by the window they would have been a goner.”

The Daily Echo attempted to contact SDS Roofing Services, but there was no reply.