THE passenger in this car had a "very lucky escape" after they narrowly missed being impaled on a piece of wood which penetrated the windscreen.

The car hit a tree after ploughing through a garden wall and fence in Weston-super-Mare on Sunday evening.

The driver suffered minor injuries and was arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

A tweet from Weston-super-Mare Fire Station said: "A very lucky escape for this passenger tonight, a sobering reminder that alcohol and cars don't mix."

A spokesman for Avon Fire & Rescue said: "On arrival, firefighters found one vehicle had collided with a tree.

"Crews remained on scene to make the vehicle safe and clear an oil spill.

"Police and ambulance crews were also in attendance."

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: "The driver escaped with minor injuries.

"However the garden wall and fence to this property was not so lucky, and the risk to the family in this address was very real.

"The driver was arrested for a positive breath test."