Lucky escape after car ploughs into front of Caldwells estate agents in High Street, Lymington

STAFF at a Lymington estate agents had a dramatic start to the working week when a car ploughed into the premises.

Emergency crews were sent to High Street where a Honda Jazz had struck Caldwells shortly after 2.30pm on Monday afternoon.

The driver, a man in his 70s, escaped with minor injuries. He was treated by a local fire crew at the scene before being handed over to paramedics.

Two of the premises’ front windows were cracked, with slight damage to the rendering.

Jeremy Caldwell, who co-owns the business with his brother Julian, and his secretary were the only two people in the building when the crash happened.

“The whole building shook, and we saw the car bounce back onto its tyres after hitting the wall,” he told the A&T.

“We rushed out to check on the guy in the car and as there was smoke coming from it, we got prepared with fire extinguishers in case it caught fire.

“The driver luckily seemed to have just a cut lip – the benefits of modern cars.”

He added: “It was lucky no one was looking in the window when it happened, as they would have had their legs chopped off.”

The smash came shortly after damage to paintwork and a grille at the front of the store was repaired, having been struck by a tyre thrown from a nearby collision last November.

Mr Caldwell said he believed the premises, which has operated for 26 years, escaped more serious damage by being struck at its strongest point.

The car is thought to be a write-off, he added.

“The main thing is that he didn’t pick up any pedestrians as it’s right by the pedestrian crossing,” he added.

A Hampshire police spokesperson said: “We were called at 2.40pm today (24th July) to a report of a Honda Jazz colliding with a building on Lymington High Street.

“The driver, a man in his 70s, suffered minor injuries.”