The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Driver charged as Army truck crashes into hotel
Manager faces repair bill of up to £20,000 after early morning incident
A man has been charged after a huge Army truck smashed into the side of a Perthshire hotel.
The military vehicle was travelling through Dunkeld yesterday morning when it struck railings outside the historic Atholl Arms.
Staff said they called police after the eight-wheel truck drove off.
Police Scotland confirmed later that the driver had been charged.
The collision was caught on camera by hotel manager Zsolt Balogh, who said he now faces a repair bill of up to £20,000.
It happened just before 9am when the area was busy with commuters and youngsters walking to school. The truck hit iron railings next to an outdoor seating area, which was empty at the time.
Onlookers said the vehicle paused for a few seconds after hitting the iron fence, before reversing and moving on.
Hotel staff made an appeal for witnesses on Facebook.
A spokeswoman said: “Zsolt was outside picking up some things from his car when it happened.
“We don’t know what went wrong. The truck was either coming over the bridge too fast, or was taking the corner too wide.”
Mr Balogh said guests who witnessed the crash from an upstairs window were left stunned: “They were shocked there were so many children walking right by when it happened. Shocked that the impact was so close to our outside seating area, where thankfully no one was at the time.”
Local SNP MSP John Swinney has written to Police Scotland, asking them to “fully investigate this incident as expeditiously as possible”. He said he was thankful no one was hurt.
A police spokeswoman said: “Around 9.10am, police received a report that a vehicle struck a wall and gate on Tay Terrace in Dunkeld.
“The male driver has been charged in connection with road traffic offences and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
An Army spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident in Dunkeld. Due to this being an ongoing Police Scotland investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”