The driver of a car fled after it smashed into a building in Wolverhampton following a police chase early today.

The Volvo had earlier failed to stop for a marked police car in the city centre.

The car raced away from Stafford Street but ploughed into a wall in Cannock Road, Park Village.

A police car is understood to have been following the vehicle at the time and the accident is now being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The driver of the Volvo ran from the scene leaving an injured passenger inside the car and is still at large.

The casualty, a 29-year-old local man, is thought to have suffered a fractured scull. He is being treated in hospital but his life is not thought to be in danger.

The accident happened at around 12.10am.

West Midland Police said: “The vehicle had earlier failed to stop for a marked police car in Stafford Street in the city centre and so, as a matter of course, the collision has been referred to the IPCC.”