An Audi A3 smashed into a wall and struck a telegraph pole after refusing to stop for police pursuing the vehicle along St Martins road in Mildenhall.

Eye witnesses watched as the car swerved left across the road, hit the wall and crashed to a halt. Several people were then seen scrambling out of the car and running away across nearby fields.

Officers stopped the driver from leaving the area and an ambulance attended the scene to treat the 24-year-old Berkshire man.

Tara Lloyd, 11, and father Graham Lloyd, who watched as the scene unfolded said: “Instead of accepting its fate it tried to turn left and smashed into the wall.

“Remarkably, there were no obvious signs of serious injury, one was too slow and was caught by the police.

“At least one of the others headed south across a field towards the river Kennet; another shocked two local residents when he appeared opposite a garden window. A police dog car was called but we did not see the dogs in action.”

The pupil of St Francis school in Pewsey was walking her cocker spaniel Del with her dad when she saw the action.

Praising the work of the emergency services she added: “The police seemed to have done a pretty good job in ending things as they did.”

A spokesman for the Wiltshire Police said: “At approximately 5pm on 8 August officers attempted to pull over an Audi A3 which was travelling south on the A346 towards Marlborough.

“The vehicle failed to stop for police and continued along St Martin's and Poulton Hill towards Mildenhall. The vehicle then collided with a wall on a bend in Mildenhall. Damage was caused to the wall and a telegraph pole."

The vehicle was recovered from the incident area.