A car steered by a young child — with his even younger brother inside — ploughed 50 yards down a busy street and across a road before smashing into a parked vehicle.

Onlookers said it was a miracle nobody was hurt in the incident, which happened shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday in Gorham Road and Bermudiana Road, Hamilton. Police are investigating

The boys — estimated by eyewitnesses to be aged between three and seven — were locked in the silver Daihatsu YRV by their father as he went to the Woodbourne Chemist on Gorham Road.

One of them released the handbrake and, according to eyewitnesses, the older boy sat at the steering wheel to guide the car down Gorham Road at 30 kph.

It glanced several parked car before careering across Bermudiana Road and crashing into a grey Opel opposite the Lobster Pot.

A number of passers-by ran out to try to help, but were unable to intervene as the car was travelling so fast.

Immediately afterwards, the older boy was said to be screaming while the younger one looked bewildered. Both were treated by St. John Ambulance staff but neither was seriously injured.

A woman working at a Gorham Road shop, who watched the incident unfold, said: "With the number of people who use this street, it's a wonder nobody got run over.

"Anybody coming round the corner would have been toast. I'm just speechless. It's a miracle.

"The car was doing at least 30 kph when it came down. It was glancing off all the other cars and scraping them.

"People were running out because they didn't think anybody was in it, but then you could see the little boy in there steering it.

"After it crashed they got them both out. It was lucky they were all right."

The boys' parents declined to comment.

The mother said eyewitnesses' estimates of their ages were wrong, but declined to say how old the boys were, saying only: "Put whatever you want."