A SUSPECTED drink-driver has been arrested after smashing into six cars and leaving a trail of destruction.

The 24-year-old man, from Leigh, is accused of ploughing into a Vauxhall Corsa parked in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff, with such force it pushed a Honda 4x4 parked behind out into the street.

The suspect then allegedly drove the wrong way up Burdett Avenue, hitting four more cars, before abandoning his Mercedes and fleeing. Three of the cars were so badly damaged police removed them before their owners awoke.

Katie Acklam, 25, of Burdett Avenue, whose Corsa was written off, said: “My boyfriend called me to tell me what had happened.

“I went up the road in my pyjamas and saw my car wasn’t there and I had a hysterical fit.

“I thought it had been stolen.”

A Honda CRV, Mercedes C200 coupe, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Focus, Mercedes C220 coupe, Nissan Micra and a Volvo XC60 were damaged in the rampage, which happened at about 12.50am on Friday.

Neighbours alerted by the noise chased the suspect, but he escaped and was caught by police later.

Miss Acklam said: “By the sound of it, he lost control of the car, took my car out and that took out the one behind.

“He then came the wrong way down Burdett Avenue.”

A police spokesman said: “Police attended Hamlet Court Road after reports of a road traffic collision.

“Officers attended and established seven cars in Hamlet Court Road and Burdett Avenue had been damaged and the car involved in the collision had come to a halt and the driver had fled the scene. A man was arrested and released on bail until September 24.”