Friends star Perry escapes smash

Matthew Perry (front, centre) pictured with fellow Friends cast members

Friends star Matthew Perry has escaped injury after crashing his sports car into the porch of a house.

The actor, who plays Chandler in the hit US sitcom, swerved to avoid another car on a road in the Hollywood Hills and his Porsche careered into the house.

Police said no charges had been brought and the matter was between Perry and the homeowner.

As a result of the incident, the front steps of the house were destroyed and the green Porsche had to be towed away for repair.

Among Friends - actor Matthew Perry (back, right) with fellow cast members

Police spokesman Sgt Paul Partridge said Perry, 30, was not under the influence of either alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident, which happened at noon on Saturday.

"He was driving downhill and he swerved to avoid another vehicle, probably coming from the other direction.

"He wasn't able to regain control and ran off the road," Sgt Partridge concluded.

He added that no police report had been made because nobody was hurt and no crime had been committed.

Perry, along with the rest of the cast, is reportedly being paid $750,000 (£468,000) per episode to make a new series of Friends.

The deal was reached earlier this month after the actors threatened to walk out on the show, which pulls in one of America's biggest TV audiences.

In the last episode of the seventh series, which was aired in the US on Thursday, viewers saw Chandler propose to Monica, played by Courteney Cox Arquette.