Fire crews and police attended an accident in the world's steepest street yesterday.

The accident closed Baldwin St, in Northeast Valley, Dunedin, shortly before 4pm.

A video shared on social media showed tourists filming as smoke billowed from the car's wheels before it went backwards down the hill and ended up on the footpath.

A witness said a Honda people mover, heavily laden with boxes in the boot and back seat, was struggling to climb the street, which has a gradient of 1:2.86 at its steepest point.

The engine was whining and its wheels began to spin, before it slid backwards into a power pole, the witness said.

Photo: Gregor Richardson

It appeared no-one was injured and St John did not attend, but emergency services called contractors to fix the damaged pole.