A large block of ice crashed thousands of feet from an aircraft and struck a car parked at a busy supermarket.

The football-sized chunk smashed into the Renault Clio, causing a two-foot dent and narrowly missing nearby shoppers.

It is thought the block of ice formed on the wings or body of a plane passing thousands of feet over Loughborough before dislodging and plummeting into the car park of the town's Sainsbury's store, in Greenclose Lane.

Driver Nicky Bates, 36, from Loughborough and her daughter Shona, 10, had been shopping in town on Saturday when they returned to find the damaged car.

She said: "I came back from shopping and saw all these people standing around my car.

"When I saw what they were looking at I couldn't believe my eyes.

"The roof was completely bashed in and there was ice and glass everywhere.

"Shona and I have been so lucky. If we'd been stood at the back of the car when it landed we could have been killed."

Pete Dickinson, of Sileby, was just arriving at the store when the ice hit the car, at around 3.10pm.

He said: "I was just driving in into the car park and I had my windows down. I heard this really high-pitched whistling sound. I didn't see the actual impact but there was this almighty crash and I saw glass flying over the place.

"I suppose it must have come off a plane – and fallen a very long way, considering the damage it did."

Staff from the store helped Ms Bates and reported the ice-strike to the police.

Deputy store manager Phil Pegg said: "I was called to the customer service desk at about 3.10pm to sort an incident in the car park. I certainly didn't expect to find what I did.

"People were standing around, a bit unsure of what had happened.

"We made sure the lady was looked after because she was obviously a little upset.

"The car was an amazing sight. You'd just never expect anything like this to happen. It was just a freak accident.

Sgt Paul Kear, of Loughborough police, said East Midlands Airport, seven miles away at Castle Donington, had been asked to investigate which aircraft the ice may have fallen from.

He said: "This is extremely unusual – I didn't quite believe myself when I was told.

"When a big block of ice falls from the sky into a populated area there is the chance there will be a bit of mayhem.

"We've been lucky."

An airport spokeswoman said: "There were no East Midlands Airport aircraft in the vicinity at the time."

The incident is now being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Spokesman Richard Taylor said: "We were contacted by the car owner and we are trying to identify the aircraft involved. We've asked air traffic control for radar information.

"It is possible it had a leak in its galley, but far more likely is this ice formed on the body of the plane and just fell off.

"We get 30 reports a year of this happening – which is not many, considering.

"Often people think these blocks are toilet waste, but they are not. Aircraft do not simply expel stuff when they are in the air.

"It is disposed of on the ground."