Portswood residents were woken up by two crashes within the space of half an hour in the early hours of yesterday - here's all we know so far.

A BMW crashed into a house in Portswood Road and half an hour later four cars were hit in Woodside Road a few minutes away.

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What happened?

At around 1.30am yesterday morning, a BMW reversed into a ground floor flat in The Newlands in Portswood Road.

The white BMW 316 left the building structurally unsafe.

Daily Echo:

A 46-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and criminal damage.

He has now been released under investigation.

Police and fire services attended, with firefighters on the scene for the next two hours.

Just half an hour later, a vehicle crashed into several parked cars in Woodside Road before leaving.

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What do police say?

Hampshire police are investigating both incidents.

They were called to a report of a single-vehicle collision in Portswood Road at 1.25am.

A spokesperson said: "A BMW had collided with a house.

"A 46-year-old man from Southampton has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving and criminal damage. He remains in custody at this time.

"The road was closed due to the need to ensure the structural stability of the house."

Officers were also called to Woodside Road around 2am.

"A vehicle was reported to have collided with a number of parked cars and then left the scene," a police spokeperson said.

"Work is ongoing to identify the driver of this vehicle."

What do fire services say?

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue sent one fire engine to Portswood Road at 1.40am.

"A car reversed into a ground floor flat, leaving the building structurally unsafe," a spokesperson said.

"Firefighters liaised with residents in the flat above to advise that the building was not safe before handing the scene over to police and the housing association.

"They left just after 4am."

What do neighbours say?

Neighbours described hearing a commotion in the early hours and "a lot of noise".

A Portswood Road resident, who did not want to be named, said: "I heard a lot of noise really early. 

"It woke me up and I couldn't get back to sleep."

Darren Page, of Broadlands Road, said: "I heard a lot of shouting early hours but thought nothing of it.

"Got up this morning and our friend had texted us to say the road was closed, had a peek down there and there were police taping off the road."

Resident Freddie Good said the Woodside Road crash happened on his doorstep.

The 22-year-old said: “I didn’t hear or see anything at all, but it must’ve been quite a heavy crash.

“I was lucky really as my car was right by where it happened.”

Fellow resident Tom Carew, 28, said he was warned about the aftermath outside.

He said: “I came out this morning and the car that did it was still on the road, at the top.

“My housemate was up when it happened and warned me about it. I think that the World Cup has got people acting stupid.”

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