Thieves woke up residents as they crashed their stolen car into five parked vehicles.

Two young men drove an Audi along Queen's Park Road in Brighton, leaving a trail of destruction at 3.30am on Tuesday.

The vehicle smashed into a rare Alfa Romeo, bounced off an Audi in front and lost one of its wheels, causing it to veer past the next two cars.

The three-wheeled stolen Audi then damaged the next three vehicles - a Mercedes van, a Ford Ka and a Vauxhall Corsa - before coming to a halt near a bus stop about 60 metres along the road.

Neighbours told The Argus that a man chased the youths from the car and grabbed hold of one of them but was forced to release him when he was threatened with a knife.

Police were unable to confirm this.

Civil servant Ian Jeffery, 51, of Queen's Park Road, was devastated to discover his black Alfa Romeo 164 Clover Leaf had been written off.

He said: "I was woken up by a horrendous bang. I would like to catch whoever did this. It's a rare car, so the insurance company won't give me more than £1,000 for it, even though it's worth £2,500.

"I nearly cried when I saw the damage because I'm an enthusiast for this particular model and run a forum on the internet for the Clover Leaf. I'm absolutely gutted."

Market trader James Conley, 75, also of Queen's Park Road, estimated the damage on his one-year-old Mercedes van to be about £2,500.

He said: "It must have been an almighty smash."

Sussex Police have moved the stolen Audi to a pound in Shoreham where officers are running forensic tests.

The two suspects are described as white. One was in his 20s, with dark hair, jeans and a white top.

Anyone with information should call Sussex Police on 0845 6070999.