A police pursuit through Thornton Heath ended in the fleeing vehicle colliding with a lamp post before crashing in to a parked car.

At 12.25am on Wednesday (July 29), officers patrolling Bensham Lane, observed a vehicle driving at speed and checks identified it as suspected of being connected with drug offences. The vehicle failed to stop and an authorised pursuit began.

The suspect mounted the pavement and collided with a lamppost with the driver continuing on the pavement for 20 metres, until colliding with a parked car on Ecclesbourne Road. No members of the public were harmed during the pursuit, said a police spokesman.

The spokesman added: “A driver, a 17-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of failing to stop, dangerous driving, driving with no license, possession of cannabis, aggravated taking and driving away.”