A FAMILY from East Lancashire had a closer encounter than most with powerful primates when they drove around a popular safari park.

Primary school teacher Chez Owen, 34, watched as the wing mirror and number plate from his BMW fell victim to cheeky baboons at Knowsley Safari Park, on Merseyside.

Chez captured a photograph of one of the baboons as it loomed over the windscreen.

He said: “It was just complete bedlam at the time.

"There were about eight baboons and they left the car a mess.”

Several scratches were also left across his paintwork after the father-of-three, of Gisburn Road, Barrowford, opted to take one of the more adventurous routes through the monkey enclosure.

Drivers are warned of the risk.

Wife Alison and their children Charlie, eight, five-year-old Alfie, and Gracie, three, were also along for the ride.

“It’s certainly the last time I will be taking a car through there again,” said Chez, who teaches at St Paul’s Primary in Oswaldtwistle, David Ross, the park’s general manager, said a car-friendly route had been created eight years ago past the baboons home, and drivers entered the more perilous route at their own risk.

“The baboons are our most popular attraction, but there can be risks associated with them,” he said.