A ROAD was closed this afternoon after a car got caught in scaffolding.

At around 2.30pm people in Lansdowne Road said they heard a loud noise as a car pulled away from a building opposite Lansdowne Baptist Church.

The police were called and an officer at the scene said the road was closed for "safety reasons".

Pedestrians wanting to cut through the road were turned away at both junctions with Old Christchurch Road and Oxford Road as contractors attempted to free the car, which appeared to have its tyre caught on a scaffold pole.

Alex De Freitas, who runs nearby Good Food by Alex, said the driver was pulling away when there was suddenly a loud noise.

"He was trying to drive away and got caught on the scaffolding," she added.

"He hadn't realised what it was and was trying to keep driving. It could have been very dangerous and brought the whole lot down."

The road was re-opened at around 3.30pm.