An elderly driver ploughed through a busy petrol station shop narrowly missing a mother and her baby.

The incident happened at around 12.30pm on Thursday at the Esso filling station on Coatbank Road in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire.

Witnesses described how the blue Ford Fiesta, driven by an elderly woman, came crashing through the front of the forecourt shop, smashing the glass door and windows.

The vehicle ploughed through rows of snacks before coming to a stop at a Subway sandwich counter, where several people had been queuing, including a new mother.

Two fire engines arrived at the scene within ten minutes of the crash, followed by police.

A police spokeswoman said: "We received a call about 12.25pm after reports of a vehicle that appears to have gone through the window of a petrol station.

"We are still on scene dealing with it."

No one is thought to have been seriously hurt, but the driver of the Fiesta was said to be extremely shaken.

A 22-year-old Coatbridge College student described the moment the car crashed into the shop missing him by inches.

The student, who did not wish to be named, said: "I've just jumped into the shop to get a juice, walked in the door, turned left to go up to the counter, next thing from behind me was just an almighty bang.

"It was an elderly woman, in her late 60s.

"I don't what's happened if she's slipped on the accelerator or what, but she's gone right through the whole door.

"There was quite a few people in the shop at the time. There was a woman with a young baby.

"Luckily everyone is okay. I don't know how it managed to miss everyone, it was definitely a lucky escape."

He added: "I was just in shock, total horror. I couldn't believe what had happened."

Ex-Royal Marine Commando Sammy Wightman, 37, had gone into the shop to buy cigarettes when the incident happened.

He said: "The car's crashed right through the thick glass at the front and taken the door right off.

"It's seconds it's missed me by.

"There's a Subway place inside it and there were three or four people standing there. There was a young baby, two or three months old.

"There was two or three staff standing there as the car came through and it smashed right into the front of the Subway counter - people actually had to make a dive out of the way. It was quite dramatic."

Sammy added: "I went outside the petrol station to make sure there wasn't any kind of gas leakage, we then made our way back in and made sure everyone was alright.

"I then went into the car to make sure the lady was alright, she was okay but just in a state of total shock. Then I switched the ignition off for obvious reason."