A COUPLE who cheated injury when a car crashed into a first-floor bedroom of their house have told how they also escaped a gas leak.

Joyce Harman, 62, of Rainbow Close, Old Basing, who was asleep in the adjacent bedroom with her husband, Joe, when the incident happened, said she had smelt gas the morning after the crash, but it wasn't until builders came to secure the area that the leak was discovered.

Mrs Harman said: "Joe has lost his sense of smell but I was sure I could smell gas.

"It just shows that it could have been a lot worse.

"I wasn't aware of any gas leak beforehand, so it must have been caused by the crash."

The gas supply to the Harmans' four-bedroomed house has now been switched off while builders make the property structurally safe before repair work can begin.

Mr and Mrs Harman have been told that they cannot return to their home for at least six months while it is assessed and repaired.

Mrs Harman said: "I just hope it doesn't have to be knocked down."

Speaking to The Gazette on Friday, the couple said the realities of the situation were only just sinking in.

"At first, I was more upset about my tree being knocked over, but when I opened the papers it sank in and I shed a couple of tears," said Mrs Harman.

They have had plenty of offers of accommodation from friends and relatives but are currently looking for somewhere to rent.

Since their miraculous escape on Wednesday night, the pair have been inundated with media requests, including offers from ITV's GMTV, Richard and Judy and various magazines.

Mrs Harman said: "I called into a shop this morning to get The Gazette and quite a few people recognised me. I think I need to get a baseball cap and some big sunglasses."

Two men were seriously injured when the high-powered BMW smashed through the brickwork of the house, before falling into the front garden and catching fire. They remain in a critical but stable condition in Basingstoke hospital.

The crash, which happened at about 11.50pm on Wednesday, is being investigated by police, who are appealing for witnesses.

They are hoping to speak to a third man, who was helped from the car but then left the scene, and the occupants of five "hot hatch"-type vehicles seen in the area shortly before the incident.

Anyone with any information about the incident or the identity of the third man should contact Farnborough roads policing unit on 0845 045 45 45 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

First published: Tuesday, May 3, 2005