A 46-year-old Paget man suffered cuts to his face and a bump on his head after the car in which he was a passenger struck a utility pole head on.

The car's headlight caught on fire but both the injured passenger and the 34-year-old driver escaped before the blaze started.

A brave neighbour used a truck to pull the car away from the pole and doused the flames with water before firefighters arrived.

The accident occurred around 4.15 p.m. on Saturday just off Dudley Hill in Paget.

The driver, who lives in Southampton, is believed to have mistakenly hit the throttle instead of the brake, causing the car to accelerate.

He subsequently failed an alcoanalyser test, and will be appearing in court at a later date.

A total of 19 road traffic accidents were recorded over the holiday weekend, and Police also reported six break-ins at homes and businesses.

Various amounts of cash were stolen.

One Hamilton man had his gold wedding ring with 26 diamonds stolen. Anyone with information about the ring is asked to contact central CID at 295-0011.

Police also dealt with seven reports of stealing, 12 reports of removed cycles, 10 domestic complaints and 14 complaints of loud music.