A HORRIFYING sight awaited a mother when she returned home to find a car had ploughed into her front door.

Sarah McGill watched as firefighters worked to free the elderly driver, who was trapped in the vehicle.

His car had gone across her front garden in Maxwell Road, West Drayton, to push in the door and dislodge bricks from the wall.

The crash happened at about 11.20am on Friday, November 30.

Miss McGill, 44, was called home by a neighbour from her job as a teaching assistant at Cherry Lane Primary School in Sipson Road, West Drayton.

“I had a call at work telling me someone had driven through my front door,” she said. “It was quite a shock, you just don’t expect it to happen.

“When approaching the house, I could see three fire engines, police and an ambulance.

“They had to cut the man out of his car which was quite distressing,” added Miss McGill, who shares the house with fiancé Tony Heath and children Ronnie, 10, Lewis, 10, and Emma, 15.

As fire crews cut into the vehicle, her thoughts turned to Coco the family cat, whose favourite sleeping spot was the front door mat. She feared the nine-month-old black Persian had been hurt, or even killed.

The consequences of the crash if it had happened earlier – when the family’s three children were leaving for school – also went through her mind.

Miss McGill told the Gazette: “Coco usually sleeps on the doormat, so we were all very worried about her.

“The damage to the house is just bricks and mortar, but it would have been personal had something happened to her.

“If it had been a couple of hours earlier, who knows what could have happened. I am just glad no one was seriously hurt.”

Miss McGill had to wait for the wrecked car to be taken away and the building to be declared safe before she could search for Coco. She was found cowering behind a sofa.

The driver, who has not been named by police, was treated by ambulance staff and then taken to Hillingdon Hospital for treatment to his injuries. He was later arrested and released on bail.

The family spent a cold, restless night in the house. “We don’t yet have a front door, so it is still a bit draughty,” said Miss McGill. “The children want to start putting up decorations, but we will have to wait a couple of weeks until everything is sorted.

“It’s been a stressful time, but we are still smiling. We were quite lucky.”

Meanwhile, neighbours have offered any help they can give. And their favourite curry house, Sipson Tandoori, took round a complimentary selection of dishes after hearing of their misfortune.