THE BMW that crashed into the side of Go Outdoors on Saturday morning appears to have been taken from a car dealer, without permission, by a drunk driver.

According to claims made by Cross Street Garage, the silver BMW 120i involved in the incident was one of their vehicles.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene of the crash, on Ocotal Way, shortly after 10.15am.

The BMW had been traveling alongside Go Outdoors, in the direction of Transfer Bridges, when the incident happened.

While the precise cause has not yet been determined, it appears the passenger side of the car left the road, went down into a deep ditch and smashed into both the Go Outdoors building and a street light pole.

Wiltshire Police has confirmed that the driver sustained only minor injuries, notably a bloody nose caused by the driver’s airbag inflating.

The damage to the car however was extensive and appeared to be beyond repair.

A spokesman for the force said the driver was breathalysed at the scene and blew over the legal limit. He was arrested and taken to the police station.

A registration check of the vehicle showed that it wasn’t taxed and didn’t have a valid MOT.

Officers at the scene found trade plates inside which indicated it was in the process of being sold on.

That was confirmed later on Saturday afternoon when a representative of Cross Street Garage, a car sales and repair firm based immediately adjacent to the site of the accident, released a statement.

A spokesman for Cross Street said: “Cross Street Garage had a customer in this morning to view vehicles.

“The customer was provided with a number of keys to make a decision as to which vehicle he would prefer.

“The customer decided upon himself to take this vehicle out on a test drive without the permission of Cross Street Garage.

“The local authorities have dealt with this individual and we have left it in their hands.

“We are glad that nobody was injured or hurt in this accident.”

Wiltshire Police have so far been unable to confirm whether the man driving the vehicle has been arrested for any theft-related offences at this stage.

Recovery trucks from Greenmeadow were able to drag the damaged BMW out of the ditch and back onto the road.

The driver’s wheel had been almost completely detached and the underside of the car left large scratch marks in the surface of the road as it was pulled along.

A large dent, measuring a few metres in length and height, was visible in the outer wall of Go Outdoors once the car had been removed.

Ocotal Way was closed between Tesco and Transfer Bridges for more than an hour while recovery vehicles and police officers worked at the scene.

One lane remained closed for some time longer as work to secure the broken street light was carried out.