DETECTIVES are searching for witnesses of a crash where a car left the road and smashed into a wall.

Essex Police are searching for dash cam footage following the crash, which happened in Dovercourt at about 9.50am on Saturday.

The driver of a red Ford Focus failed to stop when ordered to do so by officers in Parkeston Road.

The car was pursued along Ramsey Road but left the carriageway at the road’s junction with Clayton Road and collided with Harwich Ambulance Station’s wall.

The driver left the car and ran off.

Dave Priestnall, a Dovercourt resident, was at a red traffic light in Main Road when a red car raced passed.

He said: “A red car came racing through the lights with an unmarked police car chasing them hot on their tail.

“They only just missed having a head on.”

He sent the dash cam footage to the police.

A Clayton Road resident, who asked not to be named, said he was going to the shops when a red car raced passed him, and when he got back from shopping it collided into a wall.

A Ramsey Road resident, who also asked not to be named, said: “Usually, this is a very quiet area - accidents don’t really happen around here.

“My husband told me what happened when he got back from the shops.

“He said a car collided into the ambulance station’s wall, but I didn’t hear anything.

“The car was taken away by lunchtime.”

Police are appealing for anyone who was on the road at the time and has dash cam footage of the incident.

An Essex Police spokesman said:“Please contact Stanway Roads Policing Unit on 101 quoting reference 884764.

“Information can also be given completely anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.”