Four teenagers have appeared in court accused of stealing two luxury cars which were found crashed in Newhaven town centre. 

Householders were woken with a bang early on Sunday morning when a BMW hit a lamppost and overturned.

Just seconds later, a further bang was heard when a Porsche then crashed.

A 17-year-old girl had to be cut from the wreckage of the BMW and was taken from the Royal Sussex County Hospital. It is not believed she was seriously hurt. 

The first car hit a lamppost outside The Bridge pub and the Porsche crashed further up Bridge Street.

Witness Bernie Ginty said: “I was rudely awakened by an almighty noise, then a Porsche raced up past my bedroom, reversed down from the dead end of the high street and reversed into a lamp post.

“Two men ran past and jumped over a fence by the mail sorting office and away through the back.

Charges “It was very lucky that more people were not about. It could have been very serious.”

As well as police, fire and ambulance, emergency care charity South East Coast Immediate Care Scheme (SIMCAS) was called to the scene. 

Its trauma expert Rowley Cottingham said: "It was fortunate that there were no pedestrians around at the time otherwise someone could easily have been killed.

"It is tribute to the high standards of car safety design that the vehicle can sustain so much damage with so little injury to the occupants."

The two cars had been stolen from a house in Lewes earlier that morning.

The alarm was raised when the homeowners heard the cars driving off and found their house had been broken into with mobile phones and cash missing.

Police spotted the cars driving in Newhaven two hours later, but both vehicles crashed seconds later.

Four teenagers appeared in court yesterday charged with burglary and other offences.

Daniel Meehan, 19, unemployed, of Albion Hill, Brighton, was charged with burglary, driving whilst disqualified, driving with excess alcohol, driving with no insurance, and aggravated vehicle taking. Damien Leaney, 19, unemployed, of Horton Road Brighton, was charged with burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, and driving with no insurance.

A 16-year old boy from Brighton was charged with burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, and no insurance, and a 17-year old girl from Brighton was charged with burglary, theft, aggravated vehicle taking, and driving with no insurance. Sussex Police is now appealing for witnesses.

Detective Constable Annie Nash of East Sussex CID said: “If anyone saw these two cars, perhaps together, in those areas between 4am and 5.30am, please call us on 101 quoting serial 0375 of 19/8.”