A Falmouth chimney sweep was left dazed and confused after finding his van wedged in between a wall and someone's house after leaving it parked just yards from his own home last night.

Police and the fire brigade were called to Fairview Place at around 8.20am where a green Toyota Hiace van had somehow rolled down into a car park on Clare Terrace, crashed through a fence and became wedged in an 81-year-old man's garden.

Tom Hammon, of the Tom the Chimney Sweep company, said: "I have absolutely no idea how my van got there. It was parked up on Clare Terrace last night, which is up on the road and away from the car park.

"Then when I got up to go to work this morning it was hanging over the edge of the car park. I had both sets of keys to it in my house and they were still there this morning so I am totally baffled as to how this could have happened."

The van crashed into the garden of Lesley Riddle, 81, of Fairview Place, but he did not hear anything as he has trouble hearing.

Mr Riddle's daughter-in-law, Kandy Riddle, said: "It is my father-in-laws house and he is actually moving today after 53 years of living here. He didn't hear anything because he is deaf.

"The first thing he knew of it was when a policeman came to his door and said do you know there is a van in your back yard?'"

"He was very lucky really, if it had been during the day and he had been sitting in the living room, it could have been much worse."

Firefighters secured the van with a rope and the road will be closed between Vernon Place and Marlborough Road while the van is recovered.

If anyone knows how the incident happened they should contact the police on 08452 777 444 quoting police reference 152 120207