Home repairs

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), June 16, 2007

Housing chiefs are assessing the damage after a stolen van crashed into a wall at the back of houses.

The white Ford Escort hit metal railings near a roundabout on Waterville Road, in North Shields, before smashing through an 8ft wall. Debris scattered into the back yards of two homes on Howdon Road after the accident, at around 2.30am yesterday.

One of the homes belongs to NomadE5, which provides affordable housing. A spokesman said: "It is being made safe and will be repaired as soon as possible."

The incident left one man, thought to have been inside the vehicle, injured. It is believed there were up to four people in the van who ran off. A 19-year-old was arrested nearby and taken to hospital.