A high-powered sports car ended up in two pieces after the driver apparently lost control on a bend and smashed into a bus stop.

The souped-up Ford Focus was said to be travelling at up to 70mph along Market Street, in Whitworth, near Rochdale when it crashed by the Birches Hotel on Sunday night.

Miraculously, the driver managed to crawl out of the wreckage before fleeing the scene.

Witnesses say a second teenager also escaped from the crashed car and then ran away.

Police were called and scrambled their helicopter to search for the pair, believed to be aged around 17 or 18.

The road was closed in both directions for around six hours.

Resident Andi Jackson, who lives on Market Street, said it was a miracle that no one had been sat in the bus stop at the time.

The 45-year-old told the M.E.N: “I heard a loud crash. I went to look out onto the road and I could see a load of lights and debris spread everywhere across the road.

“It has come down Market Street at about 70 or 80mph. It must have lost control and narrowly missed a van. It demolished the bus stop and the back end of the car has completely come away and gone over to the other side of the road.

“Somebody who was in the street told me two young lads had run away. It’s amazing they managed to get out. They must have some injuries. You can’t smash a car up like that without a scratch on you. Somehow they’ve managed to walk away from it.

“It’s a good job nobody was sitting in the bus stop."

The pair who had been in the car were ‘absolutely’ lucky to be alive, she said.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police confirmed they were called to the scene at around 8.45pm on Sunday.

They added: “A Ford Focus had collided with a wall and bus stop near to the Birches Hotel on Market Street.

“The driver of the car fled the scene a short time later.

“Officers searched the area for the driver but they were not located. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.

“We’d urge anyone with information to contact police on 101 quoting the log number 1374 of November 12.”

Market Street was reopened just before 3am the following morning (Monday).

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