It was lucky nobody was killed when a car careered off the road in Ipswich town centre and hit buildings, witnesses say.

That's the view of witnesses to the accident in St Matthew's Street in the early hours of Sunday morning, in which the car occupants fled on foot.

Staff at Kebapizza in St Matthew's Street say they saw a white car, which they say was travelling very quickly, mount the pavement outside their takeaway just after 12.30am.

The car drove straight through Kebapizza's sign on the pavement before colliding with a bus stop and the wall between Star Express cafe and Block Management a few doors down.

Police say the "multiple occupants" then fled the scene, abandoning the car. They have still not been traced.

The crash into the building may also have been responsible for a gas leak in nearby flats.

A member of staff at Kebapizza, which had five customers inside at the time, said: "If anyone was standing outside on the pavement they could have been killed.

"Everyone inside was lucky to not be hit."

The staff say they do not know what happened to the driver of the vehicle, nor did they catch their appearance.

The ambulance service was called to help someone with minor injuries.

A potential gas leak was also reported in flats above Star Express following the collision, resulting in residents being evacuated at 2.30am while the gas board was called.

They were allowed to return to their homes at 6.30am.

Suffolk Constabulary said no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact police, quoting CAD number 20 of Sunday, October 20.