Two police officers have been suspended from driving duties after apparently crashing a sports car they had confiscated from a suspected drink-driver - by crashing it through a garden fence.
The allegedly intoxicated driver of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII was arrested and taken into custody by the two policemen after being stopped on Friday morning, the Manchester Evening News reports.
However, it seems the two officers decided - against force policy - to take the rally-bred sports saloon for a spin while awaiting the arrival of a recovery truck, an episode which ended in the vehicle ploughing through the gardens of two luxury homes and demolishing a fence before coming to an undignified rest on its side.
Russell Lomas, the owner of the smashed fence, seemed rather nonplussed by the episode - especially given the fact he had only recently "done up" his garden.
"I was in bed with my wife when we heard a violent noise," Lomas said, adding that "it sounded like a plane crash".
However, speaking to BBC News the following morning, the 82-year-old seemed more chipper when discussing the "tremendous crash", expressing his surprise that it was driven by police.
Trafford Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendant Mark Roberts said he will actively probe the incident, acknowledging that "the scene is fairly horrific", and apologising to residents.
"It is unclear why the officers were driving the car at the time and this will be a key line of inquiry in the course of our investigation," he added.
Both officers have been suspended from driving duties while the investigation looks at whether they had a legitimate reason for moving the car themselves - if not, they could face charges of taking a vehicle without consent.
