THREE “young men” have sparked a manhunt after the car they were in smashed into an iconic Southampton building. 

The trio were spotted fleeing from a silver Nissan Micra after it ploughed into a business off Woodmill Lane. 

Emergency services raced to the historic building shortly after 1.30pm on Tuesday.

A roadblock was set up and engineers worked to make sure the old mill building was structurally secure.

Daily Echo: Woodmill Lane has been closed following a crash.Woodmill Lane has been closed following a crash.

A crew from St Mary’s Fire Station was also on the scene to ensure the area was safe.

However, the road is both a bottleneck and a key route into the city.

Motorists were urged to find alternative routes meaning queues formed on Thomas Lewis Way causing travel misery for commuters.

Police have now launched an operation to track down the three young men.

Officers have since found a 14-year-old boy who they believe was in the car when it veered off the road.

Police say the boy is “assisting officers with their enquiries

Daily Echo: Three young men were spotted fleeing from the scene.Three young men were spotted fleeing from the scene.

Despite extensive damage to the building and car, no injuries have been reported.

Furthermore, paramedics did not attend.

The premises are used by The SUP Company - a firm which supplies paddleboards.

Speaking to a Daily Echo reporter, a member of staff confirmed that all employees who had been on-site at the time were “okay”. And that no one had been injured.

A post on the company’s Facebook page made light of the situation, saying: “Seems some people are in more of a rush than others for us to help them get on the water.

Daily Echo: A police roadblock was set up in Woodmill Lane on Tuesday afternoon.A police roadblock was set up in Woodmill Lane on Tuesday afternoon.

“Needless to say, we are still open taking and shipping your orders (via all existing doors!).”

Commenting on the incident, a police spokesperson said: “We were called at 1.37pm to reports that a car had collided with a commercial property in Woodmill Lane, Southampton, blocking the road.

"Three young men were seen getting out of the vehicle, two made off and enquiries are ongoing to locate them.

"One 14-year-old boy, believed to have been in the car, has been located and is assisting officers with their enquiries.

"We closed the road so the vehicle could be recovered and are working with partner agencies to make sure the building is safe."

Witnesses are urged to call police on 101.