A car crashed into the front of a bookmaker’s in the Black Country while staff and customers were inside.

The driver of the red BMW M3, which police believe was stolen, needed to be checked over by paramedics after the car hit the Ladbrokes shop in Wood Lane in West Bromwich.

The smash happened just after 8pm last night while two staff members and two customers were in the shop.

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Police arrested a man on suspicion of taking the car without consent and his passenger ran away.

Staff at the shop declined to comment. A security guard has been placed at the shop to keep watch while repairs are made.

The accident completely destroyed the front door. There is no suggestion that the crash was a deliberate attempt to steal money.

Watch commander Nick Perry of West Bromwich fire station, said: “The driver was approaching from Oak Lane and seems to have lost control of the car. Despite the damage the building is still structurally sound.”

Suky Beghal, landlord of The Vine pub, in Dartmouth Street, said tit was a well-known site for crashes. The 28-year-old said: “I used to run the mini market on Lodge Road until six years ago and we used to get them all the time.”