A gang of youngsters used a car as ‘an object of entertainment’ and ended up wrapping it around a lamp post.

Passersby called police after seeing the tear-aways racing the Ford Ka around the West View estate in Hartlepool.

It ended up hitting and then toppling the lamp post in Skerne Road which caved in the back side of the dark coloured car.

The ages of those responsible are not known, however, the incident has sparked a warning to parents to check where their children are.

A post on the Hartlepool Neighbourhood Policing Team Facebook page reads: “On Wednesday, July 15, we responded to a report of a vehicle that had crashed into a lamp post on Skerne Road.

“Upon our arrival we were met with a Ford Ka vehicle which is shown in the photographs.

“The lamp had been dislodged from the top of the post and had fallen directly onto the roof of the vehicle. These lamps are a substantial weight and could have caused serious injury if it had hit anybody.”

It continued: “Reports from passersby suggest that this vehicle was being used as an object of entertainment by a group of youths being driven around the West View estate.

“Please could parents be vigilant and ask your children what they are doing whilst they are out on an evening with their friends, on this occasion the youths involved have been very lucky and no one was believed to be injured.”