A man has told Sky News how his residential street was "like a war zone" after a crane on a 18-ton tipper truck smashed into around 10 vehicles.

Simon Kellett recalled how he was locking up his house before leaving for work when he heard a "big crash".

He said the grabber of the crane stuck out the side of the lorry and hooked on to a Vauxhall Corsa by its roof.

The car then acted like "a battering ram" as the truck hurtled down a residential street in Oldham, he said.

Several vehicles were then hit by the car, including Mr Kellett's van, which suffered significant damage to the front and rear and has now been written off.


Image: Simon Kellett's van was badly damaged in the incident

The Corsa ended up in someone's garden, he said.

He told Sky News of the incident: "Ten seconds later and I would have been in the car. I wouldn't have seen it coming.

"I could have been dead. I would have been smashed around. The street was like a war zone".

Image: Some vehicles were flipped over. Pic: Facebook/David Ragg

The lorry had reportedly been stolen from a builder's merchant moments earlier. It's crane ploughed into about 10 vehicles, causing some of them to flip over in the street.

The truck was believed to have been found burnt-out about a mile away from where it was taken at the Si-Tec store in Oldham.

Images, taken by local resident David Ragg, showed a number of damaged vehicles on Hadfield Road.

Mr Ragg spoke of his "shock" at seeing the destruction after he left his house for work.

Image: Pic: Facebook/David Ragg

He told Sky News the scene was "bizarre" and compared it to the aftermath of a car chase.

Mr Ragg said when he got to the builders' merchant, it was a "mess". He went on: "The wall at the side was demolished."

Police are now looking into the incident.

A statement by the Greater Manchester force said: "Police were called shortly before 7am to reports that a vehicle had overturned on Hadfield Street, Oldham.

"A second vehicle has also overturned and damage to other cars.

"There are road closures in place on Hadfield Street and Copsterhill Road."