CAR SMASHED INTO SIDE OF ASDA
A50-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving and criminal damage after crashing a car into the side of a Runcorn supermarket.
Cheshire police have appealed for witnesses and dash-cam footage after the incident, which was reported at Asda on West Lane at around 5.10pm on Tuesday.
A force spokesman said officers found a beige VW Bora had ‘crashed into a wall’ at the side of the store.
Firefighters, aided by paramedics, released the driver from the car and he was taken to Aintree Hospital by ambulance.
He is not believed to have suffered any serious injuries.
The Cheshire police spokesman said officers arrested the man on suspicion of drink driving, causing criminal damage and driving without insurance.
There were no reports of anyone else being injured as a result of the incident. Footage of the incident that has been circulating on social media showed a saloon car moving at moderate speed towards the building.
The clip showed several shoppers turn and run to help.
When the Weekly News visited the scene, railings had been placed around the damaged wall and wooden railing.
A large dent was clearly visible in the panelling at the impact spot.
Two police cars were present and officers were inspecting the scene.
Det Sgt Leanne MacFarlane, of Runcorn Local Policing Unit, said: “Thankfully no-one sustained serious injuries as a result of this incident.
“The consequences could have been far worse and we are committed to doing all that we can to establish exactly what took place.
“As part of our enquiries we want to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision or has any other information which may aid our investigation.
“We also want to speak to anyone with any dashcam footage of the incident, or of the car driving in the area prior to the collision.”
A Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service spokesman said two fire engines from Runcorn and Widnes attended.
Crews stabilised the car while paramedics assessed the driver.
Firefighters used a long board to extract the casualty.
The spokesman said: “Firefighters assessed the external and internal damage to the structure of the supermarket before using specialist equipment to pull the car away from the building. They then made the vehicle safe and used a gas meter to check for gas leaks both inside and outside of the store.
“Firefighters were in attendance for around an hour.”
Anyone who has any information or footage that may be relevant to the investigation is asked to call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, quoting IML 748886, provide details online via www.cheshire.police.uk or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.