Birkdale Chippy destroyed as car ploughs through shop front.....

The destruction caused by the car at the Fryery Fish and Chip Shop in Birkdale

Photo from Southport Visitor

At around 3.30am a Ford Fiesta smashed through the Fryery Fish and Chip Shop on Guilford Road, just seven weeks after it opened destroying the shop front.

This morning at around 3.30am, a Ford Fiesta driven by a male smashed through the Fryery Fish and Chip Shop on Guilford Road in Birkdale.

All the emergency services were called to the scene to deal with the incident. The male driver was taken by ambulance to Southport Hospital as a precaution with slight injuries.

Billy Nolan who owns the terraced property and lives next door to the business said: “At first of all I thought the misses was kicking me because maybe I was snoring.

“The whole bed shook, when I realised there had been a bang I thought it was ramraiders. Then I looked out the window and saw a young lad who had been driving looking dazed and confused – he was in shock.”

Billy said he doesn’t know the financial cost of the damage yet, but that he has been told by the structural engineer that the supporting steel column has moved as well as part of the roof.

The fryers were also toppled onto their side by the crash and one the fridges moved, with damage even spreading to the ceiling.

Billy said: “Looking at the impact you would expect a lorry to cause that amount of damage, not a small car, I cant believe it. How the lad walked away from it I don’t know – he was very lucky to escape.

“I am broken hearted at the damage. The business has only been open for seven weeks – Diane and Kay Martin who run it had made it look fabulous inside and were just finishing things off.

“They have been doing so well and are really upset.”

Shocked passersby surveying the damage gathered at the cordon to look at the devastation caused by the crash.

One local resident who did not want to be named described the whole incident as a “bit of a carry on.”

She said: “It was lucky that it wasn’t during the day. There are a lot of kids on the corner from the school usually. It is such shame, they haven’t been open long and seemed to be doing really well.”

Merseyside Police confirmed that the man tested negative on a drink drive test and that a building officer from Sefton Council attended the scene who confirmed it was safe for the car to be removed from the building.

Billy told the Visiter that the residents who live in the flat about the chip shop were moved to safety after the incident.

Story Source: Southport Visitor