A BURNLEY man was left "one inch away from death" after an out of control car crashed and stopped just short of a ladder he was up.

Joe Green said he "felt lucky to be alive" after watching the car mount the kerb, cross the pavement and hit his father's Volvo which careered towards him while he was at the top of the ladder painting woodwork.

But while he escaped unhurt his wife was rushed to hospital with a broken arm after she fell down the stairs trying to save him.

Police said if the Volvo hadn't been there to act as a barrier between the ladder and the run-away car, the driver would have smashed into the bottom of Joe's ladder and sent him plummeting to the ground.

Joe's wife Diane had heard police sirens and watched with horror from the bedroom window as the car headed towards her husband. She ran down the stairs - but fell and broke her arm.

Diane, 41, a nurse, said she thought that her husband, who has a fear of heights, was a "goner".

She said: "Even though the whole thing happened in a couple of seconds I felt I was watching in slow motion.

"I heard the sirens and looked out to see what was happening and then just saw this car come flying round the corner and crash into the Volvo.

"I thought Joe was going to be killed. It literally missed him by an inch.

"I just went into auto-pilot and thought I must stop the car from killing him.

"I leapt down the stairs, fell and broke my arm. I don't know what I thought I could do but I just wanted to get to my husband fast.

"I wasn't much use though. He eventually came off unscathed and I was taken to hospital by ambulance with a broken arm."

Police said that on Friday afternoon officers spotted a car being driven erratically in the Queensgate area, off Colne Road, and had asked the driver to stop before a police chase ensued.

Police said that after hitting a number of parked cars, the driver lost control of the car as he drove round the corner into Randall Street where he hit the Volvo and Joe's BMW.

A man was later arrested. The road was also sealed off.

Joe, 42, a paint sprayer for Silentnight Beds in Barnoldswick, said: "That is the closest I have ever come to death.

"I don't like heights as it is and I was already shaking a bit while I was at the top of the ladder. This has just put me off for life.

"I could hear the sirens getting closer and closer and then all of a sudden they burst round the corner.

"There was nothing I could do and I had no time to move so I just clung on to the ladder for dear life and waited for the impact. But thank goodness it never came.

A police spokesman said: "Traffic officers gave chase to this car after the driver failed to stop.

"The chase last four of five minutes and in that time a number of cars were hit, including Mr Green's Volvo which acted as a barrier between the car and the ladder.

"A search is still ongoing for a passenger who fled from the scene and has so far evaded capture.

"We would be interested to hear from anyone who witnessed this incident."

A Burnley man has been charged in connection with the incident and will appear before the town's magistrates today.