- Landlord may be forced to lay off staff while pub is shut for repairs
By
Chris Richards
06:34 EST, 3 June 2012
|
08:42 EST, 3 June 2012
A crashed car lies parked in the middle of a pub bar after its driver ploughed into the building when she swerved to avoid a fox.
The female motorist lost control of her silver Ford Focus which veered off the road and bounced off wooden decking before smashing into the outer wall of The Sun Inn.
It came to rest in the village pub’s dining room, with bricks and masonry strewn everywhere from the collision that left a gaping hole in the front of the building.
Luckily the crash happened at 8.45am and the building was empty at the time.
Devastation: The Ford Focus ends up lodged in the wall of The Sun Inn
Stunned barman Kevin Keenan narrowly missed being struck by the flying debris.
The unnamed driver was also unhurt and stepped out of the vehicle to apologise to the staff at the time.
The crash has forced the pub in the village of Dummer, near Basingstoke, Hants, to close while repair work is carried out.
It is thought the bill for the damage and loss of business will run into thousands of pounds.
Wrecked: Workmen begin to repair the damage to the wall of The Sun Inn
Barman Kevin, 52, said: ‘I was making a cup of tea when there was an almighty bang and there it was – the front end of a car in our dining room.
‘There was dust and bricks coming towards me.
‘A woman got out of the car and said that she was sorry, and that she had lost control and swerved to miss a fox.’
It is thought the driver, a nurse, was travelling home to Winchester, after a night shift at nearby Frimley Park Hospital, when the accident happened.
The car left the southbound carriageway of the A30 and hit the side of The Sun Inn.
Blamed: The driver of the Ford Focus lost control of her car after swerving to avoid a fox
It had crossed a central reservation, travelled around 50ft down the slight slope, and still had enough momentum to go through the wall of the pub.
The wrecked car had to be dragged out by a fork-lift truck.
Workers shored up the ceiling of the dining room before the hole in the wall was boarded up.
Landlord Gordon Scott, 21, said he expects the pub to be closed for the next three months and he may have to lay off some of his 14 staff.
He said: ‘All the food we had has gone off and we’ve had to cancel buffets, wakes, barbecues and big table bookings.
‘I am trying not to get rid of staff but it’s a question of when we can reopen.
‘I’m really ready to start again, redo the whole front and make it look really nice and have a big opening when it’s done.
‘What else can I do?’
Vicky O’Hare, a spokesman for Hampshire police, confirmed that nobody was arrested as a result of the crash.
-
Woman caught performing sex act on herself by side of… -
Revealed: Victim of Canadian porn star cannibal is Chinese… -
FIFTH victim has emergency surgery as flesh-eating bacteria… -
‘Markets are facing a rerun of the Great Panic of 2008’:… -
It WILL be the Elizabeth Tower: MPs support renaming the… -
Hundreds of thousands of cheering crowds throng the banks of… -
DUI mother arrested for driving off with five-week-old baby… -
Is this the Middletons’ new £5m mansion? Rumours are rife… -
Happy and glorious! Never a merrier Monarch… smiles and… -
A window on ‘forgotten’ America: More fascinating images of… -
The shocking photo that reveals the damage the sun does to… -
Fasten your seatbelts for a dream home! The man transforming…
Share this article:
Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.
The comments below have not been moderated.
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
Oh dear, it hasn’t been a good week for women drivers. some spectacular accidents reported in the DM in the last week involving them, and some classic parking videos. I think they should ban “full length mirrirors…;-)” in women’s cars.
Report abuse
Another dramatic headline DM . Pub almost destroyed – hilarious. Must be a joke there about the driver and the name of the place.
Report abuse
Is this the ‘dummer’ in Dummer?
Report abuse
I knew she was a woman driver… ?
Report abuse
Fox in road?? Of course we all believe you sweetheart.
Report abuse
Women.
Report abuse
Don’t blame her.I’de trash the pub for a Fox as well.Pubs cause 10,000,000 times more social problems than Foxes.Stuff the pub.
Report abuse
I know that sometimes you are dying for a drink but why can’t she use the door like everybody else?
Report abuse
They hardly need to close the whole pub!
Report abuse
Men make fun of female drivers. However, 9 out of 10 deadly car accidents are caused by men, especially on the motorway.
– Sophie, Surrey, 3/6/2012 17:56—–Hmmm, rather telling that you have provided no official source for these statistics. Sophie, dearest…they don’t actually count if you just think them up in your own pretty little head.
Report abuse
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.