SHOCKED residents were woken by a taxi smashing through a wall into a pensioner's front garden as the driver suffered a fatal suspected heart attack.The accident happened at around 2am this morning in Queen Street, Newmarket.

SHOCKED residents were woken by a taxi smashing through a garden wall into a pensioner's home as the driver suffered a suspected heart attack and later died.

The tragic accident happened at around 2am yesterday in Queen Street, Newmarket, but no-one else was hurt as the Citroen Picasso car ploughed through the garden - hitting the front door of the elderly man's home.

Police are now investigating whether the 56-year-old cab driver, from the Ely area, became ill before the crash or as a result of the impact.

Homeowner Ron Kay, 76, said he was awake when his house was shaken by the out of control taxi.

“I heard a loud crash and then my front door was pushed in. I didn't know the driver was hurt at the time,” he said.

Mr Kay, who has lived in Newmarket for more than 50 years, said he was not concerned about the damage to his property, given the tragic circumstances, and sent his sympathies to the dead man's family.

Neighbour Peter Ryan, 26, said: “I was woken by a hell of a bang. I thought it was someone trying to break in. I ran out and saw the car sticking through the wall. I called the police straightaway and they were here in minutes. I tried to talk to the driver but he didn't respond.”

Alfred Rayment, who lives next door to the damaged house, said: “It's a terrible thing but it's very lucky that no-one else was hurt. There are often lots of other cars parked here at night and it's a wonder they weren't hit.”

Paul Carlton, owner of Silks Taxi Service in the town, said he was stunned and saddened by the news of a fellow driver's death.

An East Anglian Ambulance Service spokesman said they received an emergency call at 1.52am.

He added: “We had a report about a man in his fifties who may have suffered a cardiac arrest at the accident site. The crew treated the driver at the scene and continued efforts to revive him en-route to West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at around 2.30am.”

Police were last night still to name the cab driver who died.