MOULTON residents were awoken by the sound of the police helicopter in the early hours of this morning, Thursday, after a car crashed into a wall.

Homeowners on Meadow Lane in the village opened their curtains shortly after 12am to find a dramatic scene happening on their doorsteps.

According to eyewitnesses, police detained one man using a tazer and a helicopter was deployed to look for two more who had escaped over fields.

Villagers reported seeing a safe on the back seat of a car, with rumours spreading it had been taken from a nearby shop.

There were also reports that the Spa in Davenham had been raided but the shop confirmed to the Guardian on Thursday afternoon that this was not the case.

On Facebook, posting in the 'Moulton, Cheshire' group, Nicola Wiseman, said: "Yeh, I came outside to see what was going on and I could hear him (a suspect) breathing so I signaled to the policeman where he was and then we chased him out.

"The copper promptly tazered him - he fell and smashed his face on the pavement. Most entertaining evening I've had for a long while."

Speaking to the Guardian Nicola said she opened her front door to find a man hiding between her car and caravan.

She said a silver hatchback car had crashed further down the road.

"I heard something next to me and there was a man between my car and caravan," she said.

"He was breathing heavily probably because he had run away. I saw the policeman coming up the road so I pointed to him saying he was over here.

"We both then chased him - and I'm not sure what I was thinking about but it must have been the adrenaline. 

"He was then tasered and he smashed his head on the floor and there was blood everywhere. They were trying to get him to say his name but all he said was that he was from Kirby. 

"It was exciting really seeing it happen. 

"The police have put tape up around the wall and forensics have been around today - I've been curtain twitching!"