THIS picture shows firefighters during a rescue operation to free a man from his car after it crashed into a house this morning.

Fire crews from High Wycombe spent more than an hour cutting the 36-year-old driver out of his silver Ford Mondeo, and had to cut off the car's roof to get to him.

Miraculously the man escaped from the wreckage with minor cuts after being taken to Stoke Mandeville Hospital. He has since been discharged.

The emergency services were called to the scene in Totteridge Road at around 1.40am and firefighters spent an hour and 15 minutes cutting the man out.

The detached house, which is being rented by a couple with a 28-day-old baby, suffered damage to its porch, inner and outer walls and the front door, which no longer opens. Glass and debris was also left strewn around outside.

The mum, a 32-year-old software engineer who did not wish to be named, said: "We were told by police that the car was coming from the town centre, which means it was travelling uphill. We can't understand why it hit the house this way if it was coming from there. It must have been going at a very high speed."

Building inspectors were also called out as it was feared the structural damage to the house could have made it unsafe, and the family is now awaiting a further inspection to see whether they will have to be moved to temporary accommodation.

Police are still investigating what caused the crash. No arrests have been made.