Joyriders smashed a dumper truck into a centre for people with disabilities, just feet away from the bedrooms of residents.

The near tragedy occurred at Ritchie Russell House, in Headington, Oxford.

Joyriders are believed to have been driving the truck shortly before the crash at 9pm last night.

It slid down an embankment and crashed through a library plate glass window, causing damage which could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Adele Stancliffe, senior occupational therapist at the centre, said: "It has been driven into the building with tremendous force. There is glass everywhere. "We had night staff here and they heard it happen. We understand that some children got hold of the digger and got it started, but they had run away by the time our night staff got there.

She added: "People are very upset. This unit is for people who are chronically disabled and the library is a popular resource. We don't know how much this is going to cost to repair.

"If it had been a few feet further along it would have been into people's bedrooms."

Police are investigating the incident. Spokesman Duncan McGraw said: "All we know at this stage is that a dumper truck rolled down an embankment and crashed into the building."

NHS-run Ritchie Russell House, on the Churchill Hospital site, provides residential accommodation for people with severe disabilities. It recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Story date: Monday 12 April

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