A van has been crashed into the front of a petrol station in Salford, Greater Manchester, before being set on fire during a ram raid.

Police and fire crews were called to the Gulf petrol station in Cleggs Lane, Little Hulton, at about midnight on Monday March 6.

The vehicle, a Mitsubishi Delica people carrier, was reversed into the shop on the forecourt and left sticking out of the building, which was deemed unsafe due to the structural damage.”

Fire crew manager Phil Dearden said: “The vehicle has been reversed at quite a speed to get through the shutters, doors and glass.

“You can only see the front of the vehicle now. The front of the building is completely unsupported. There are cracks appearing in the walls, loose bricks and metal casing hanging down.”

A police spokesman said: “Police were called shortly after midnight to a petrol station on Cleggs Lane in Little Hulton to a report of a van reversing into the shutters.

“The van was set alight and fled. No-one was injured and enquiries are ongoing.”