A 24-year-old from Ipswich is due to appear in court today after being arrested over a late-night smash in which a suspected stolen car swerved across the road and hit two houses.

The BMW smashed into a house in Westerfield Road, opposite The Swan pub, before careering across the road and mounting the kerb and a 2ft wall outside another property, finally coming to rest in a hedge.

Several police cars, three fire crews and an ambulance were all called to the crash, at about 2.15am on Saturday.

They arrived to find one man trapped in the car, but firefighters cut off the roof and door to free him from the wreckage and he was taken to Ipswich Hospital, although he was not seriously hurt.

Neighbour John Daly, 81, who lives next door to the first house which was hit, said he and his wife were woken by the crash.

“My wife is quite a light sleeper, so she heard a crash and she looked out of the window and could see flashing lights,” he said.

“I came out and looked up the road and I reckon there were at least six or eight police cars with all their lights flashing.”

The crash was a hot topic of conversation at Saturday’s village fete, with several residents along the busy road having been woken by the smash.

But Shane and Charlotte Morrison, who live in the first house to be hit, slept through the whole thing and only spotted the damage – several deep scratches to the side of their house – the next afternoon.

Mrs Morrison, 38, said: “We had no idea it had happened, although we’re not surprised, with the speed people travel through the village. They have no respect for the residents.”

Lee Nicholls, 24, from Great Gipping Street in Ipswich, was remanded in custody to appear at South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court today charged with burglary from a property in Park Road, aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified, failing to provide a sample for analysis, using a motor vehicle without third party insurance, attempted theft and failing to stop when required by police.

Anyone who saw the crash or has any other information about the incident can call police on 01473 613500.