The trail of destruction left by the runaway tanker.

A massive seven-ton tanker ripped through four gardens and demolished a concrete lamp standard after a tyre blow out in Padiham Road, Burnley, yesterday morning, 10th February 1975. But the driver, Mr Kenneth Lonsdale, of Sterling Court, Briercliffe, his son, Stuart, and passenger Mr Angus McLeod of Princess Street, Nelson, walked out of the wreckage without a scratch. Father and son were taken to hospital suffering from shock after resting at the home of Mrs Edna Heyworth, of 826 Padiham Road, Burnley.

The tanker, an empty dry sand container, belonging to the Burnley firm of Cartmell and Gallick Ltd, careered 200 yards down Padiham Road after its front off-side tyre blew. Narrowly missing other vehicles, it zig-zagged, crashing through Mrs Heyworth's garden post and then sliced through the gardens of numbers 828 and 830. It ended up broad-side outside the front window of Mr Ken Boothman's home at 832 Padiham Road. He came down stairs after his 10 o'clock shave to find an even closer one just inches from his front bay window. Mr Alan Ford of number 830 said that a few years ago a similar thing happened but on that occasion the lamp standard went through the front-bedroom window.