'I only have pyjamas and handouts after crash'

A man living in a row of terraced properties that was smashed into by a tractor following a crash said he woke up to a loud bang before fleeing the property in his pyjamas.

Darren Kearn said he was an "emotional mess" after the incident on the A51 Vicars Cross Road in Chester on Tuesday.

Mr Kearn, who has lived in the property for 12 years, said he was unable to get back into the building to pick up any belongings as the property was not structurally safe.

"All I have is pyjamas and clothes given to me by the Red Cross - it's literally everything I have, and my cat," he said.

Mr Kearn said when he first woke up he looked out of the window and couldn't see anything but then when the fire alarm went off he left the flat and saw the aftermath of the crash.

He said most of Tuesday was "a big blur" and after the incident he was taken to a church down the road.

"It is very shocking - it does sort of bring a knot to your stomach," he said.

Mr Kearn said he had been given temporary hotel accommodation by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

He said it was a "waiting game" to find out when he might be able to return, even briefly to collect some of his belongings.

"Basically my life is in there and I can't get to it is where I'm at," said Mr Kearn.

"What do I do for furniture? I am not exactly well off."

He said that a friend had set up a fundraiser for him to help with the cost of furnishing the basics such as a bed and sofa if he was unable to return to the property for some time.

"When you get to 44 you don't think about having to replace everything that you own and start over again," he added.

Mr Kearn said: "At the end of the day, though, it's bricks and mortar, everybody got out, they're safe that's what's important."

The incident, which happened at around 06:36 BST on Tuesday, involved a tractor carrying a large red tanker and a Mercedes car.

No one in the properties affected was injured in the incident, while the two men driving the two vehicles have since been released from hospital, a Cheshire Police spokesman said.

The Mercedes driver, a 52-year-old man from Boughton, has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and driving under the influence of drugs.

Cheshire West and Chester Council have been contacted for comment.

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