A man has described a "flash of light" and a "big bang" as a car careered into his living room yesterday night.

Jay Grief was in the dining room of his house on Lucerne Street with his mum and uncle, as well as some friends, when the Fiat Punto rammed into the front room.

"I'd just got a drink and was walking into the living room, there was a flash of light like a bomb went off and a big bang," he said.

"I couldn't see for a second, but when I could there was a car in the house."

The 22-year-old also described the devastation in the aftermath.

"Bricks went everywhere, the door flew off, the sofa went flying, the radiator came off the wall.

"The whole house filled with dust, and some bricks came through to the dining room."

But he only took the scene in for a couple of seconds before springing into action to see if the people in the car were okay.

"I just reacted," he explained. "Me and my mum jumped over the car to get the people out and make sure they were okay.

"There was only one person, and he had to climb out through the boot."

The driver of the car, Bradley Holloway, was later arrested and charged with drink driving. He will appear at Maidstone Magistrates' Court on Friday, January 27.

Mr Grief lost a number of high-value personal items in the incident, including his laptop and a Bose speaker.

Some of the furniture in the living room will also need replacing, but thankfully nobody was seriously hurt.

Council workers have been at the house today making it structurally safe and secure, but Mr Grief and his family cannot return home.

They have been housed in temporary accommodation nearby.

A council spokesman said: "Unfortunately we have been unable to contact the owners of the property as of yet. Due to the risk to both the building and public safety we have used our emergency powers under Section 78 of the Building Act.

"This allows us to step in to protect and make safe any property where necessary.

"The building is now secure and we will be liaising with the owner and their insurance company to recover any costs incurred by the council."