A HOUSEHOLDER has described how a motorist collided with four vehicles in the street outside his home before ploughing through his garden wall.

Scott McLeod, 38, was watching TV when he heard a series of crashes outside his home in Athelstan Road, Bitterne.

He looked out of his window to discover the wall outside his property destroyed and the white Vauxhall Cavalier in his garden.

The Cavalier had been travelling from the direction of Peartree Avenue along Athelstan Road when there was in collision with a stationary white Escort van last night.

The driver lost control and hit a Mercedes travelling in the opposite direction. The Cavalier then rolled over before hitting a stationary Audi, belonging to Mr McLeod's housemate Simon House. This car was shunted around 25 feet up the road hitting a stationary Mondeo.

The driver of the Cavalier - a 27-year-old man from the Bitterne area - had to be cut out of the car by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service following the accident. He was taken by ambulance to Southampton General Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. His passenger, who was able to walk away from the vehicle, also sustained minor injuries.

The driver of the Mercedes - a 57-year-old male from the Bitterne area - wasn't hurt.

Mr McLeod, a catering supervisor for Debenhams, said: "I heard a small thump then a series of crashes.

"Then there was an almighty crash right outside my house. I went to the window and saw that I had no garden wall left. Simon's car had moved 25 feet down the road and there was a white Cavalier in our front garden."

Mr McLeod added that residents of Athelstan Road had attended meetings with the council several years ago to ask for traffic calming measures to be installed in the road.

"This street is being used as a rat run," he said.

A section of Athelstan Road between Bitterne Way and Garfield Road was closed following the incident.

An investigation into the circumstances of the collision has now been launched and police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

"We are keen to hear from anyone who either witnessed the collision or the events leading up to it," said Sgt Glen Barham of the Hampshire Roads Policing Unit.

Anyone with any information should contact PC Andy Holdaway at the Roads Policing Unit at Eastleigh on 0845 045 4545.