TWO families were luckily to escape injury when an Asda lorry struck the front of their properties after the driver took ill at the wheel.

The articulated lorry ploughed across several front gardens before hitting the wall of the terraced houses on Steading View, Tranent, just after noon on Friday.

East Lothian Council, which owns the houses, has now confirmed at least one family was at home at the time of the accident and had to be evacuated.

They say a second property was empty at the time of the crash.

The local authority said tenants affected were offered temporary accommodation as the extent of the damage to the houses was assessed. 

It is understood the damage is believed to be mainly cosmetic after the truck, and its 30ft-long trailer, came to a rest side on to the house fronts. 

The local authority said it sent a housing team to the street on Friday to assess the damage.

A council spokesperson said: "I can confirm two council properties have been affected in this unfortunate incident.

"The tenants have been safely removed from their homes and a team is on site to assess the extent of the damage."

The lorry was heading out of Tranent towards Macmerry, on the eastern edge of the town, when it crossed the main A199 road before crashing into the gardens.

Witnesses said the driver lost consciousness and an ambulance was called to the scene.

He is currently in hospital but his condition is not known. Incredibly, no-one else was injured in the incident.

One woman at the scene said she arrived home to the sight of the lorry after a visit to the town's Asda store for some shopping.

She said: "I live in the next street down and popped out for some shopping. I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I came home.

"There are a lot of families live here, thank goodness no-one was hurt."

It is the second time a large vehicle has been involved in a collission in the town after the driver became unwell in eight days.

Last Thursday a Prentice bus crossed  the High Street, mounting the pavement outside Giancarlo's restaurant, shortly after 8am.

The bus driver was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We were called to Steading View at 12.15pm after the lorry left the road. Police are on scene."

Firefighters from Tranent also attended.