Boss Richard Miller surveys the damage at Whitstable's Harbour garage

by Lauren Fruen

Thousands of pounds of damage, three 30ft lampposts sent crashing to the ground and a £10,000 car crushed – and all because of the festive efforts of one Whitstable garage.

The costly chaos began when a large lorry delivering parts became tangled up in the Christmas lights at Harbour garage in Tower Parade.

The lights, and the metal posts they were attached to, were ripped down as the lorry drove away from the garage - sending them crashing into the busy road and path below.

Miraculously, no one was injured in the accident on Friday afternoon - but witnesses said passers by had a lucky escape.

"if anybody had been walking past i think they would have been killed..." – richard miller

Garage group director Richard Miller said: "If anybody had been walking past I think they would have been killed.

"The lorry came and unloaded the parts and then raced out of the garage. Unfortunately we had our Christmas lights up and the lorry got caught in them, pulling down three lampposts they were attached to as he drove away.

"The driver didn't even know he had done it. Someone flagged him down and stopped him otherwise he would have been driving off down the road with a lamppost attached to the lorry."

Each post cost the garage around £1,000 and a £10,000 car was also damaged as one of the posts fell.

Mr Miller added: "One post fell into the road, one fell on top of a car and the other fell on the path. It was very lucky nobody was hurt.

"I would say the total damage done would be around £4,000, but things can be repaired. The main thing is that nobody was hurt.

"We were actually going to take the lights down the day before – I wish we had now. It was certainly an expensive way to take down the lights, but at least no one has to go up a ladder now to get them!"