The 20 tonne crane was travelling along Chesterfield Road on Wednesday morning when it is believed to have experienced problems with its air brakes and started to run away down the hill.

The driver tried to steer it off the main road and run it off into Lynholmes Road but it clipped a car as it rounded the corner and smashed through a garden wall and into the front of the house at about 8am.

Homeowner Jacqueline Fletcher, who was just returning home after a night shift, said: "I'd just parked up and was looking forward to going to bed after a night shift. The next thing there was an almighty crash and I saw all this flying debris. When I realised it was my house I just couldn't believe it.

"There was nobody in the house at the time which was lucky, my daughter had just gone to work."

Michael Gamble, whose Ford Mondeo was extensively damaged by the crane, said: "I was sitting in my kitchen when we heard an almighty crash. I came running out of the house and my first thought was thank God my car is alright, but then I came round the other side of it and saw the damage. I could not believe it.

"It's quite lucky really, if the crane had gone down the hill into Matlock it would have killed someone."

Derbyshire police and fire service were both on the scene and said it could be several hours before it was safe to remove the crane.