Householders dived for cover as a 15-tonne runaway dustcart rolled down a hill, careered across a main road and smashed into their homes.

The driver had left the handbrake off as he got out to join his crew collecting rubbish in Pebble Road, Pevensey, yesterday morning.

The truck rolled 200m down the hill, crossed the normally busy Coast Road and slammed into Bexfield Court.

It left a trail of destruction, ripping a lamp-post out of the ground, smashing two windows and causing severe structural damage to the flats which will need urgent, major repairs to prevent collapse.

Jill Hanson, 74, who watched in horror as the truck hit her flat, said: "I'm just very glad nobody was killed. It could have been so much worse."

Mrs Hanson has been offered alternative accommodation but has vowed to stay in her flat.

Her neighbour John Hansford said: "I was sitting by my front window and saw the truck pull up Pebble Road.

"The driver got out of the cab and started helping the other guys but all of a sudden the truck lurched forward.

"I thought at first it was just driving back but then I noticed the driver was not at the wheel and it started to gather a lot of pace.

"By the time it reached the bottom of the road it was going fast and clearly coming across the road.

"I just dived for cover and ran away from the front of my flat because I could see it was going to hit us.

"The next thing there was a very loud bang and shakes and when I next looked out I could see there was a hell of a lot of damage."

Steve O'Connell, the deputy leader of Croydon Borough Council, owns the flat above Mrs Hanson and it too was badly damaged.

He said: "It's a job for the insurers now. I don't know what's going to happen in terms of fixing it but they are going to have to do something quickly.

"It obviously needs major repairs because of the crack in the brick work."

A three metre crack across the front of the downstairs flat was clearly visible.

Workers from Wealden District Council, whose dustcart caused the damage, were yesterday clearing up debris and boarding up broken windows.

Coast Road was closed for most the morning as police and fire services assessed the damage. A spokesman for Wealden District Council said: "At the moment we have our building inspector down at the site making sure it is safe and we will be conducting a full investigation."