Window cleaner's escape as car rolls through shop front

A window cleaner narrowly avoided being crushed as a car rolled through a Northamptonshire shop front.

The man jumped to safety after a postman saw the car heading towards the window and shouted at him.

The Peugeot car had been parked at Palmers Quality Butchers in Gold Street, Kettering, but the handbrake was not on securely, meaning it rolled through the town centre and into Bay Trading's window.

Lucy Colman, manager of Bay Trading in High Street, said: "It is lucky that this happened before we opened because it could have been so much worse.

"The window cleaner was the only person around at the time and had to jump out of the way or would have been squashed.

"We have obviously had to be closed all morning while the window has been replaced.

"A lot of out shelves have been damaged and we have had to throw away all our shoes as they are covered in shards of glass."

One witness, who did not want to be named said: "I saw the car go past and thought it was going a bit fast but didn't realise there was no driver."

A spokesman for the police said: "This is a very unusual case that is classed as a accident as no crime was committed.

"The woman who owned the car was shaken up and it is lucky that no one was hurt.

"It could have been a lot worse but we will not be getting involved further."