A HIGH-SPEED police chase almost ended in tragedy when a car crashed into a house and went straight through the living room window.

The accident caused so much damage that emergency services had to evacuate a mother and her son, over fears that the building was about to collapse.

The drama began at about 7pm in Sunderland when police responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle in the Hendon area of the city.

Officers spotted the car and began to follow it at a safe speed. The suspects travelled within the speed limit as they drove over the Wearmouth Bridge towards Fulwell.

On reaching Fulwell, the car sped off at high speed and the police, activating their siren and lights, followed at a safe distance.

As the Ford Granada reached the junction of Fulwell Road and Browne Road, the driver lost control, careering across the road and smashing into a house through the front room's double glazed bay window.

The occupants, a 34-year-old man and his mother, were in the kitchen at the rear of the house at the time of the crash. Both escaped uninjured.

Both the driver and the passenger in the suspect car suffered minor injuries and were arrested at the scene.

Witnesses to the crash are asked to contact Sunderland police on 0191-454 7555.